What Once Was Lost
by J.M.Spellbound
Summary: Jynx was a lot of things; a murderer, a thief, a liar, a cheat, a mistake, a psychopath, but of all the things she was an Autobot was definitely not one of them. If these glitches actually thought this was a good idea then they were crazier then she was. No matter though, in the end they were just a way to get what she wanted, at least that was how it started out. SS/OC/SS
1. Dangerous Reflections

**Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers.**

**Just the OCs and plot of this mess.**

**Wherever it will take me.**

**Okay, so I'm gonna do it. I'm just gonna post it.**

**Seven months of starting and restarting and I'm finally just gonna do it. **

**The first chapter of the story of the OCs that's been driving me mad. **

**This one will be very different from my other stories that I have up on this site, there will be hints here and there of a bit of the same story line I've used in _The Guardian's Guild_ but for the most part we're playing a whole knew ball game. One I hope that will be enjoyable. **

**So buckle up it's gonna be quite the ride. **

* * *

ust

Chapter 1

Dangerous Reflections

Pax Tran was not a city. It was also not a base or even really outpost. It was a ten square mile radius of broken structures pieced together into a sad, pathetic, excuse as for a blip in the sand on the outskirts of the Old Kaon territory and one of the last strong holds of every low down, no good, two-bit lying waste of slag that was either too poor to wiggle their way past New Iacon's gates or two rich to bother trying. It was full of murderers, escapees, deserters, ex-gladiators, present orn gladiators, drug lords, gang officials, pleasure bots, fools, gamblers, drunks, junkies, and anybot that had no where left to fall. Because when you ended up in Pax Tran you truly had hit the bottom of the barrel. There was not many places worse that a bot could end up then this place. Sure, you could find your way down into the tunnels if you weren't careful and you'd never find your way back out again, but really that—in the end—was a choice. This was the metaphorical ledge before the suicidal jump. The place where many contemplated those last few feet between them and oblivion. Where they decided were those last few feet really all that far down?

It was a vile place, it was evil, it was broken, and it would chew you up and spit you out just because it could. .

And that was why Jynx absolutely loved it here.

The hot stink of The Smelt flowing just on the other side of the red ridges of sand, the loud obnoxious sounds of fighting, drinking, and fragging that filed the streets. It all wormed its way under your plating and wiggled into your very soul until you could never escape the sounds of the screams and the death that floated on the very air in this place.

The energon pooled in the streets, the pain that clung to the shadows, the overall cruelty that just swallowed up anything that walked through those twisted arched pillars at the village gates. It was all enough to drive anybot insane.

Of course, Jynx was already long past insane well before she ever ended up here.

So in all honesty, she might not be the best judge of its character.

Snorting at the thought the small yet lethal femme sashayed her way through the streets, mindful of where she placed her peds and of who she allowed to have her back too. She was known in this place.

Well known.

Most of who the Underground was associated with was.

There was not much she had to fear—except those that outranked her—so it was not truly a foolish thing for her to walk right on by the quiet mugging that was going on in the dark shadows of an alley along "main street" and have no fear that when she glanced that way and memorized the faceplates of the victim and the attacker in less than a nano-klick that she would be fine. The large orange mech would not pursue her when he was done with what he was doing. He knew better.

Jynx could hand him his very spark dripping in energon and placed it in his palm before he'd even realized she'd moved and she'd do it clean enough—if she felt like it—that he'd have a good few moments of horror to bask in before his processor caught up with the fact that he was dead. It would be amusing to watch.

She would know.

She'd done it plenty of times before.

Many times in that very alley that she had just strolled on past. Which was a fact that everybot in this pit hole knew all too well. Her designation was one the sane feared and the cruel respected. She was not something to be played with. No matter the fact that she hardly reached the mid-section of almost all those around her. She was more than capable of slaughtering this whole damn village if she felt like it.

She had even pictured what it would be like. A time or two. What it would feel like to have that much energon gushing over her claws again.

For it had been a while.

She imagined what it would sound like, look like, smell like, and _taste_ like. However, she always ended up talking herself out of it. Because if she gutted the whole village then where would she get her fun?

She would be downright _bored_!

And that was just not something that she could allow herself to be. Good things never happened when Jynx became bored, and since she was completely and totally off her rocker and yet she still knew that what happens when she becomes bored is bad . . . then it really is _bad_.

For her and every foolish thing around.

It was better in the long run if she let them alone—for the most part. Let them gut each other on their own. Every now and again came the few suicidal sparks that thought it wise to try their luck against her. Her taste for fun was usually satisfied with them and she would be sated. For a while at least.

It was a nice little arrangement that went on here, actually.

All the no good low lives in this place all got to go along their marry way of killing each other in their recharge and not a soul said a thing.

Not even that damn _Prime_.

Even that fool was smart enough to know, the village he'd only heard hearsay about—because none of those that lived here tended to ever let his little spies leave alive to go tell him what is that happens in this place—was not something he could tame.

The only way he'd ever stand a chance of reining this corner of pit in was if he blew it off the face of the planet.

And that was something he'd never do. He was too _good_.

* * *

Breezing through the front door of Grease's hardly a spark looked up to even glance Jynx's way.

She was fine with that.

She never bothered with them either.

The sun was still high in the desert sky when the doors slammed shut behind her. It was still a bit early for a drink—even in a place such as this so the bar was relatively empty. Just a few overcharged bots sprawled here and there and a few gamblers still lost in their games of the night before. They were of little interest to the femme. She was here for some other reasons and had no time to bother with them.

That and they were smart enough to take one look, know who she was, and quickly look away.

Guess crazy bastards learned quickly after all.

Who'd have thunk it?

When Jynx reached the bar in the back of the dingy, dim, smelly building she leaned against the dust and sand covered surface her shiny white paint looking out of place beside the dirty cubes the massive grey mech behind the bar was cleaning with an equally dirty rag. Tipping her helm she gazed up into his deep red optics through her black tented visor that hid away her optics from everything around her. Even the mech that brought her here to the first place she could freely be alive.

Without even looking up Greaseslick knew who was in front of him. For he made the decision—a rather stupid decision if you asked Jynx—to be foolish enough to trust her a long time ago. And Jynx . . . well she was stupid enough to not slice his throat when she had the chance.

"Bit early for you to be around isn't it, Jynx?"

The small femme smirked, feeling her visor flash with the gleam her bright optics put off even through the dark glass. "What? Are you not happy to see me, Grease?"

He snorted. "When you rise before the moons it spells nothing but trouble."

"You know me so well. Don't you?"

"Unfortunately I do." He chuckled for a moment then lifted those dark orbs to hold the narrow tinted glass visor of the twisted creature before him. If he was wise he would be terrified to hold the gaze that burned through that one-way tented glass. He would fear the monster he knew very well lived not so far beneath that pretty surface. However, no bot had ever called the old bastard wise and he had no plans of changing that anytime soon. Which was why he gazed at the relatively tiny—even for a mini—Cybertronian before him. "So it leads me to question, what are you doing here?"

Swirling around she bright white femme cast a look about the room not comfortable even in the place she always returned too with keeping her back to the door. So she leaned backward on the bar, her elbows resting on the cold metal as she took in the room and the harsh glow of the desert sun peaking through the cracks of the barred door. It was the same as it had been. For the last six vorns. Nothing changed.

Part of that was comforting, she guessed.

But in the end it really just made her want to come apart at the seams. For as much as Jynx loved this village, she hated the walls that kept her in every now and again. When she started burning.

She'd gone too long without some _real_ entertainment.

Without something to chase the harder to scrub away pictures in her processor away with, and it was starting to show. That was plainly obvious since she was up along with the sun. She desperately needed something to do.

She was bored.

And bored was a bad thing.

Her long silver claws twitched for energon as her processor fought off the things she had long ago locked away. She'd been sitting still too long and once again felt like she was caged.

She needed to remind herself that she was wild.

Free.

Could do whatever she wanted whenever she wanted.

Her quota was paid for the next few Decacycles so her _debt collector_ would not be sniffing around for a while. She was perfectly free to go completely insane. Only there was nothing in this magical village that demanded her attention. There was nothing exciting. Nothing new.

It was the same old same old.

Murders every night on the street corners, screams in the air, lies oozing out of the very sand that slide between her clawed toes, but she'd seen it and heard it all a billion times. Nothing of interest had come along for a while and it was about to cause the femme to slaughter the whole population just to have something to do.

And since if she slaughter the whole village she would then have no further forms of possible entertainment in the long run it seemed Jynx was going to have to take her boredom elsewhere. That or risk having to go find a new wonderful hole of pit to call home. Which would be more work than it was worth, she had no wish to go wondering off into the tame lands and have to 'behave' long enough to get to another place she could play and not have Enforcers breathing down her neck.

That last Enforcer patrol she gutted had been fun, and she had needed to remind the glitches of who she was—stupid fools thought they could point a blaster at _her_! As if.—but in the end they never provided enough entertainment.

Sure they begged, and blubbered, and bled plenty.

It just wasn't the same though.

They never fought back hard enough. They gave in too easily.

In the end there was no challenge, and a lack of challenge bored her.

Which as previously stated; is a bad thing.

Turning back to face Greaseslick, Jynx gave him a half smirk and a wink through her dark visor. "I'm going for a walk."

The tall grey mech offered her another snort as he rolled his optics and went back to cleaning his cubes.

"Do whatever makes you happy, Jynx."

"Oh I intend to." She assured him before balancing up on her pointed toes, pushing up on the counter, and then flicking him in the grey forehead with a dangerously pointed claw. He shook his head and pulled back—not afraid, just annoyed a fact alone that with probably anybot else in the universe Jynx would have killed them on the stop for, the not being afraid part not the annoyed one—before he lifted an optic ridge at her.

"I figured you were about due for some fun anyways. I'll see you when you get back."

To those words her smile faltered slightly as she was reminded just how well this old mech knew her. How well he knew not only what made her tick, but so much else as well. Simply because he hadn't tossed a leaking, dying scrap-rat out of the airlock of his ship like he should have twenty vorns ago and then after he had patched said scrap-rat back up the foolish femme decided to not slit his throat. Because it had been a moment of calm clarity among swirling winds of chaos for the first time in vorns for her, though now when she tried to think back and recall just why in pit she did it she couldn't.

Just like she couldn't fathom the idea of why it didn't burn her alive inside that she let this mech _trust_ her. That she didn't stab him in the back just to remind herself that she could—because she knew she could. And she'd do it some orn, she was sure of it.

It was a fact she reminded herself of often. That she could kill Greaseslick. Anytime she wanted. It would be easy. Flick of the wrist and it would be done. Or perhaps something a little more personal than that. Maybe she would make it slow. Drag it out and listen to him curse and cry and damn her for her betrayal. Let him know who it was that sent him packing to the nothingness beyond. Then, when she was done, she'd go digging around in that obviously messed up processor of his and find out just what it was she had managed to do that made the idiot glitch feel as if he could trust her.

And then she'd never do that again.

Yet she still hadn't done any of it.

Jynx, for some reason completely unknown to her, kept him around, or maybe it was him that kept her around. Whatever it was she constantly found herself wondering back up to his doorsteps. Even after she disappeared into the desert for Decacycles chasing entertainment, even when she told herself that she didn't have to come back to Pax Tran. When she let the cold night air remind her that she could leave, turn her back, find another source of fun and have no need to let it confuse her as to why she didn't kill the old glitch every time he turned his back on her just out of spite.

Why it didn't bother her that somebot trusted her again.

Why she let somebot trust her ever again after how horribly wrong—NO! She was not going there again.

Shaking the thoughts away the bright white femme cast him one last smile, tipped her helm, and swaggered back out the door into the sunlight without so much as a goodbye. Because there was no need for one. He knew as well as she did that she would be back.

Even when she lied to herself and said that she wouldn't.

* * *

As it turns out Jynx didn't have to go far until she found something to amuse herself with. It was quite surprising though . . . it's not often one runs across a bright and shiny, waiting to be snatched and flown into a wall, Enforcer ship this far out in the Old Kaon desert.

Her long claws twitched, her frame shivered, and the energon that flowed through her sang in her highly tuned audios as she crouched low among the hills of sand and stone watching through her one-way tented glass visor that kept others from seeing in, but offered no hindrance to her own view of colors or anything like it. Yet she did not do as her twitching frame willed her to do—which was stroll on down there and gut them all like the socket-fawns about the cyber-coyotes they were—because something far more interesting was happening.

They were arguing.

The Prime's _perfect _little law department that was going to help tame the wild Cybertron he and his 'cured' brother had returned to was standing down there in the hot red sands yelling at each other like glitches.

And Jynx found it all _very_ highly amusing.

"YOU WHERE SUPPOSE TO BE WATCHING THE MECH!" The two tone white and black door winged mech with the strangely random bright red chevron atop his head was practically foaming at the mouth as he stalked around in circles waving his hands in the air before the two equally as annoyed looking red and golden mechs of similar size and shape to each other—though even from this distance Jynx could tell they weren't completely similar, perhaps the same model or maybe even siblings she wasn't sure—that stood before him. The red one was tense as a bow string while the golden was statue still, arms crossed, and even from here the small femme could see the snarl of his teeth.

They were downright ferocious, oh how she'd love to see how hard they fought before she slowly pealed their sparks from their chest. They were most certainly put up a good fight.

Her claws twitched.

But she held herself back; the happenings were far to interesting to send them all into a panic just yet.

That would come later.

After she decided who she would quickly send to the next life and who she would play with for a while until the things struggling under the bonds of her mind were put back in their place.

"IT'S NOT OUR FAULT! HE SLAGGIN' VANISHED!" The red one hollered.

"HE WAS LOCKED IN A CELL!"

"AND NOW THE CELL IS PRIED IN HALF!"

Jynx tilted her head.

Pried in half?

Glancing around she saw a twisted mess of dead energon bars in an oddly shaped sad little square. If that had been a cage it wasn't much of one now. Her interest suddenly shifted.

A single mech did that?

Energon thudded in her audios making her shiver and grin. Now _he _sounded like fun. _Wonder where he got off too?_

"HOW DID YOU MISS THE PART WHERE HE WAS PRYING IT IN HALF!? WHY DIDN'T YOU STOP HIM!?"

"OH I'M SORRY, PROWL!" The red one snarled. "WE HAVEN'T RECHARGED IN SEVEN FRAGGIN' ORNS! WE FELL INTO RECHARGE!"

"NONE OF US HAVE RECHARGED, SIDESWIPE!" The one called Prowl, Jynx was assuming, threw his hands up in the air while the silver mech with the blue visor behind him came a little closer as a grey mech that looked very similar to the black and white one only his paint was different stood nervously off to the side beside a seemingly impatient slightly larger white and red mech next to him.

"WE'RE SORRY, PROWL!"

"Hey, ease up the lot of ya." His voice was quiet, obviously trying to stop the yelling and she had to let her webbed audio sensors atop her head unfold so that she could pick up his accent heavy, quiet, tone as the silver visor wearing mech placed himself between the snarling trio of mechs. "Calm down."

"DON'T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN!" Prowl hissed.

"You're stressed, Prowler. We all are. We're all run a little ragged. We're frustrated, we're hungry, we're tired, and we want to go home. Ya wouldn't be acting like this if were weren't. Calm down and think. This isn't you. You need to think."

For a long moment the two stared at each other and even form the distance that stretched between them Jynx could feel the familiarity and the trust in the air. And she cringed at it, pinning back her sensors and shuffling backward. Suddenly these mechs were not so interesting.

In fact, they were downright boring.

Yep. Boring.

She figured this escapee would be far more entertaining, and far _less_ emotional.

When the two tone mech's head dropped and some of the tension fell from the air she felt the shift run through her very spark. A part of herself she had long ago forgotten how to listen too. But even from where she was she could sense it between the bots, just as she could hear the whispered murmur of 'I'm sorry.'

Yep.

It was time for her to go.

Spinning in the shadows of the stone she was crouched beside Jynx was about to skirt the little camp of sorts they had going down there to find the tracks that would tell her where this escapee wondered off to so that she might have a little fun when a bright flash caught her attention.

Her helm snapped up out of reflex to find the source of something that could flash that bright in the middle of the desert orn, but what she found made her spark drop to her pointed toes. The flash rang out silently from the east washing over the rolling sands before the sonic boom that always followed a flash that bright slammed over the desert knocking her back on her aft.

The force of the blast knocked the air from her cycling vents and she coughed in surprise as she stared up at the suddenly spinning sky from the force she hit the ground and lay there for a moment in complete confusion before it clicked in her processor.

That was an explosion.

An explosion in the middle of an empty desert where the only thing for miles was a little hole of pit called Pax Tarn. A hole of pit that was exactly in that direction.

With a strangled scared choke Jynx shoved herself to her peds, leapt forward, transformed into her four wheeled alt mode and raced back the way she had came.

* * *

Standing there in the ruble of that familiar shop and most of that block Jynx knew like the back of her hand was a strange thing now. It only got stranger though when she knelt and shifted through the ruble with some unexplainable knowing of what she would find.

And found it she did.

That familiar grey faceplate and those deep red optics. Now empty and lifeless as it he burnt beneath the remains of his bar.

Greaseslick was dead.

That was plainly obvious to her as she gazed down into those empty optics.

He was dead. Gone.

The only mech in forty something vorns that actually was stupid enough to trust the little femme was dead.

And she did not understand this emotion inside her chest because of it.

This burning anger. This hatred.

Why was it there?

She should be happy.

It was a bad thing that he trusted her. _This _was the reason it had been a bad thing. She'd been dreading it for vorns now. So this should be a good thing.

This meant it was over.

No more stupid guilt in the bottom of her tanks. No more finding herself turning back toward him when she'd been off playing too long.

There was no bot now that would wonder where she had gone if she didn't come back. There was nothing but her and how she decided she wanted to terrorize the world this orn.

This was a good thing.

Yet when she lifted her ash covered claws to touch her faceplate she found tears.

_Tears? _

Stumbling back from the fallen structure Jynx turned to gaze around this now calamity filled village. The screams of bots withering around in pools of energon on the ground slowly dying, buildings crashing to the ground as the flames of an energon explosion ate away at the old structures.

It made Jynx's energon sing. It made the burning deep inside her ease a little bit with the itch that rose up under her plating to dig her claws into some living something and join the fun. It was already happening around her. Those that hadn't been caught in the blast where either swiping things or finishing off the easy pickings of screaming bots and going on to the edges of the village where things weren't burning or were just gathering what was left to head on to the next thieves village they could find connected to the Labyrinth. It wouldn't be hard. Not really. If they dared try the Labyrinth they'd be in Graz before the sun had set again three times. If they didn't they probably would have no trouble breezing through the Enforcers and taking the long way.

Jynx should be among them.

For as much as she loved this place now there was nothing to hold her here. Because in all realty it had only been Grease that kept the femme here. It wasn't really in her nature to stay anywhere too long. She just didn't handle it well. She never had.

She loved this place because she could find fun, but she _stayed_ in this place because Greaseslick had been here and because of the stupid guilt that had burned inside her when she tried to go away. Which was idiotic.

Because she didn't feel guilt.

Not anymore.

It wasn't allowed.

Jynx did whatever she wanted and she didn't care who it hurt. She tore bots apart while they screamed for mercy because she _could_. She felt no guilt for that. She never had.

Yet she felt guilt when she tried to leave that stupid old bastard. Just because he didn't kill her when he had the chance!

Snarling in frustration she angrily whipped the tears from her cheeks.

She would _not _cry!

She had not cried in _vorns_! Because there was nothing left worth crying over!

There was nothing to cry for because she didn't care!

Yes.

That was right. She had to remind herself.

She didn't care.

And she really didn't.

She. Did. Not. Care.

Greaseslick was dead. Somebot had killed him.

That bot had to be interesting for the bastard had not been a pushover.

Yes. She would bet her spark that bot was very entertaining.

That was just what she needed. That would make her forget.

She'd find this bot. She'd take them apart. She'd hear them scream.

Spinning on her heals she strolled lazily through the drifting smoke that choked her vents and burning flames that licked her plating not even bothering with either of it. She simply found the least blubbering of the dying mechs in the street. He was brown colored with grey assents and he currently had a giant shred of burning metal stabbed through his back. The explosion must have got him.

That meant he was close enough to see who caused it.

And maybe where it was they went.

Crouching down in the pool of his bright blue inner liquids the bright white femme paused a moment to smirk at the feeling of the sticky substance between her toes. She took a deep breath of the scents around her; burning metal, cooking energon, death.

Jynx was grinning wickedly before her optics opened again. She could feel the twisted curl of her lips, how cruelly they arched against her softly angled faceplate. She had been told quite a few times before that when that smile graced her pretty faceplate she looked down right insane.

She found it fitting.

Since she was.

Busying herself with the task at hand again though she latched hold of the sniveling mech's shoulder, yanked him up, and then flipped him back over. The shrapnel in his back drove in deeper. He screamed in agony. She laughed under her breath.

Leaning forward from where she was balanced on her toes as she rested her long thin claws against his leaking chest armor and brought her small frame up over his, her weight pressing down and casing him even more pain, until she was level with his panicked and dying blue optics.

Energon rolled down in a steady stream from between his parted, gasping lips and with a curious tilt of her helm she giggled, reached forward, and swiped some of it off before playing with the sticky substance between her thumb and forefinger.

"Help me!" He gasped and her optics returned to his. Through her visor he could not see the roll of her optics, but she did it all the same.

"Help you?" She paused, basking in the wispy world of floating nothingness that had take over her processor. There was nothing. Other than intrigue.

She was blissfully empty, entertained and free inside.

This was the feeling she chased. This was what she chased through the long wild nights. This was what she searched for. This empty open freedom where there was nothing inside her to weigh her down any longer.

So blissfully and magically free.

A world of swirling beautiful colors spun in her processor as a kind of wild light danced in her glittering silver optics that not even the dark tent of her visor could hide now as she leaned closer until her mouth was even with his damaged audios.

"Help you, you say?" She giggled, pulled back, and then danced her long silver claws over his punctured chest. "No, I don't think I will."

Horror filled the light blue optics that stared back at her before the mech coughed again splattering her front in energon. Her smirk only grew.

"Instead you're gonna help me, 'kay?" Her claws dug into his injured chest and he howled in pain making Jynx tilt her helm her webbed audio sensors standing to their full six inch height above her forehead, the two bright blue pieces of plating with the cobweb like network of highly sensitive wires and sensors now unfolded behind them picking up every delicious noise she could find. "Who did this?"

He spit energon at her visor.

"Very well," One clawed hand retracted to rub the glorious substance from her sight before she flexed the deadly appendage between them, relishing in the bright blue liquid that sparkled there in the firelight. "We'll do it the fun the way then."

Like a viper strike her claws slammed into the mech's neck, ripping, puncturing, and slicing as in the time it took her to blink she had severed most of his head from his body in a splatter of energon and a choked off scream as most of his neck was sliced clean through. Carefully pulling her hand back she smiled to the mess she had made before getting down to business.

Pushing herself up and quickly taking a once over she found the mechs syncing port—his located in his right shoulder which was thankfully undamaged for she was not big on doing this the old fashion way of cracking open his helm to dig around for a port in his processor. That way hurt her more often than not. Syncing was much more fun. Slicing the bent brown plating from his now lifeless and growing cold and grey frame she chucked the useless piece over her head. Her silver optics quickly found the jumble of equipment she was looking for. A coil of two connector cables bunched up—not even neatly she took notice off—above a row of two ports. The mechs syncing hardware.

For most the hardware was a way of communicating, a direct link into not a bot's spark but their processor. All their thoughts and experiences. Right there for easy access and download. The equipment could be used for a verity of things though. To each is own really.

Bots used them to communicating feelings and memories to those they trusted. It was a private look into a mind that was only supposed to be for the valued to have access too. For there was also much damage that could be done if synching hardware and access to a processor fell into the wrong hands.

Jynx's hands for example.

Oh the havoc she knew how to cause. All the fun she knew how to have.

With a full body shiver of excitement the little femme danced a clawed hand up her own plating to the small rectangular panel that was hidden away in the complicated plating of her right side, just above her hip. Tapping a claw against the panel she pulled up the command to open the panel and felt it slide away beneath the pointed tips. What reviled itself was her own simple—yet far cleaner—bundle of two cables neatly coiled around each other above two ports. Though Jynx paid her ports no mind. She simply pulled one of her connector cables from its coiled place. Stretching it out to its three foot length she took the pointed silver end of the white plated cable glowing with bioluminescence silver dots. Without hardly even glancing at the hardware she'd seen a billion times the femme plugged into the dead mech's syncing port and suddenly she was submerged in a onslaught of sound, light, and senses.

Entering another processor—even a dead one—without permission was not a feat to taken lightly. A processor was a dangerous place to those that didn't know how to navigate it. There were bots out there that said digging around unwanted in processors could lead to insanity, that filtering through memories and emotion you didn't belong in would slowly twist your very spark until you no longer knew it.

Jynx was inclined to agree.

But, she'd done this plenty of times before. She was kind of scarily good at it.

So she figured, why stop now?

Besides, it was fun.

Shifting through the bombardment of emotions at the moments before this bots death; fear, anger, hate, misery, and desperation she spun them around in flashing frames of pictures until she found the few klicks before the blast had hit the mech. Quickly finding what she was looking for was easy enough. She looked for the only logical thing that would be out of place. The mech that had done this. Since obviously he wasn't still here—she knew all the dying faceplates around her, she made a point to know all the regulars in his village—it meant he got away before he blew up whatever it was he blew up. Which Jynx had a sneaking suspicion was Grease's energon stash under the bar. Not that there wasn't plenty of things in this village to blow up, it just seemed the blast happened just about dead center of here. And so Jynx searched; what she found though.

That was unexpected.

It _was_ Grease's bar that blew, this mech that lay beneath her claws had gotten out just before the blast went off, he saw the form of the dark black mech tented in orange with flashing red optics laughing over his shoulder as he fled.

Red optics that snapped through Jynx's daze of peaceful nothingness and made her spark slide to a stop.

Yanking her sync cable from the port it was in she gasped, scrambling backward and trying to shake the mental picture away as she shoved herself up while the image of those burning optics seared into her processor.

It had been a long time since she'd seen those optics . . . but not nearly long enough. With a strangled curse she spun the direction she'd seen the glitch run through the other mech's memory with a seething rage now in place of the blissful nothing she had known just moments before.

Because the mech in that memory was Fallback, and see was going fraggin' slaughter him.

* * *

"I can't decide if this is a really good thing, or a really bad thing." Jazz whispered to the crimson mech crouched to his left.

"Me neither." Sideswipe quietly answered as he and the master saboteur peaked out over the red dune they were crouching behind. Even from this distance the screams and the crackling metal of a town burning to the ground could be heard. The red former melee warrior could see the pillars of blue tented smoke spiraling into sky and he could smell the stench of cooking lives as easily as he could hear their dying screams. Pax Tran was burning to the ground and there were none down there in that pit hole that cared enough to try and stop it. Sides knew their kind as well as Jazz did. They'd kill whoever was too weak to fight back, pillage the remains, and then leave the little town in the dust. Onto the next lawless pit the wild territories had to offer.

And there were plenty of them.

The two that had spied in most of them would know, just as they knew this one. The only one they'd never managed to get into.

Oh so many bots the Enforcers had tried to sneak in there, and oh so few of whom returned. Not even Jazz himself had been able to get in. _Him_! The Shadow of the Enforcers! He hadn't lasted more than two orns before one of those damn Ground sniffed him out.

He had been lucky to get out with his life, because he didn't get out with both arms.

Yeah . . . Ratchet hadn't been happy the orn he came limping back into New Iacon. Optimus hadn't been happy either. For that matter Jazz wasn't happy. It had been a long time since he got his aft that royally handed to him.

Now though here he was. Not two miles outside the village gates watching it, and all his chances for answers, burn to the ground. Sure, when the survivors had scattered to the wind they could sneak down and try to find their way into the tunnels, but without any info to guide them . . . not even Jazz was optimistic enough to think they stood a chance. If they weren't killed down there by the Underground then they would probably just never find their way back to the surface.

Those tunnels were not called the Labyrinth of the Smelt for nothing.

Tilting his helm Jazz opened his comm link. **"****Prowler?"**

**"****What's it look like?" **The once upon a time SIC of the Autobots that was now the Head of the Enforcers and Chief Advisor to both the ruling Prime and his Lord High Protector answered in a clipped, annoyed tone. Not that Jazz was surprised. The first piece of actual information they'd been able to nab alive vanishes from under their noseplates, and now one of the closest—even if they hadn't managed to get in yet—wild villages to them was burning to the ground all the clues it held going with it. _Because _of the glitch they let slip away from them.

That and none of them had recharged in half a Decacycle.

And Prowler really wasn't all that much fun when he was running on no recharge. Jazz learned that a long time ago.

Mech wouldn't even pretend to sort of understand his stupid jokes when he was like this!

It was downright insulting.

That was a matter to brood over at a different time though. Right now the lot of them had far more pressing issues to worry about.

**"****Like my hopes and dreams vanishing in a cloud of smoke." **Jazz answered.

Sideswipe—who could hear the open comm—snorted beside him and Jazz grinned, but Prowl didn't seem to think it was all that funny.

**"****I meant literally, Jazz." **

**"****I know what ya meant oh walking battle computer dear spark of mine."**

**"****Hey, no flirtin' on the air ways. ****We're on a mission." **Bluestreak's teasing drummed in to which Sideswipe fell back in silent hysterical laughter to; Jazz chuckled despite the grim outlook of their plans, and Prowl very loudly snapped.

**"****Not the time! ****Either of you!"**

**"****Ouch, somebot is still grumpy." **Sunstreaker was most likely enjoying the tent to Prowl's cheekplates that was most likely there at his former students teasing of his mentor. Jazz once again had to roll his optics.

The silver mech could practically see the armor melting glare his sparkmate was probably giving the big golden mech. Not that Sunstreaker was going to be the slightest bit phased.

Though it was probably best if Jazz stopped the oncoming fist fight since neither he nor Sides was there to break it up and Blue would just try to jump between them and end up getting hurt while First Aid would stand there rolling his optics saying that he didn't agree to come along to fix idiots—sometimes Jazz wondered if that mech had spent to much time with Ratchet over the vorns.

**"****Mechs, let's get back on track here, okay? ****I was just messin'." **

There was a moment of long drawn out silence where the silver mech knew Prowl was plotting how to strangle him best in recharge and no bot know what happen before he answered. **"****Right. ****On track. ****You were explaining to me how it looks out there."**

**"****It's a big ball of energon smoke." **Sideswipe chimed in helpfully making Jazz shot him a pointed look through his dark blue visor. Sides just grinned, pulling himself back to his peds, and peaking out over the sand again.

**"****Thank you for that oh so detailed observation, Sideswipe." **Prowl sighed.

**"****You're welcome!" **The red mech grinned cheekily even if the stick in the mud couldn't see him. It was fun to torture Prowl no matter where he was. The mech just made it too easy. Always had.

**"****How about one of the two of you try and offer me something useful now? ****Is there any sign of our wayward runaway?" **

And the humor died in both mechs.

Sideswipe grew serious—something that never meant good things—as he gazed down at the burning village again while Jazz propped himself up beside him though he was casting his gaze around this hills of sand.

**"****He did this," **Jazz started. **"****Just don't know where he got off to yet. ****We'll have to circle the village. ****See if we can pick up his trail."**

**"****He couldn't have gotten far." **Sideswipe commented. **"****There are enough bots down there capable of at least keeping him occupied." **

**"****He's a maniac, Sideswipe." **Prowl pointed out.

**"****So?" **The red mech shrugged even if Prowl couldn't see them. Wasn't like the Autobots didn't have their own fair share of bots a little off their rocker. They had him and Sunny after all . . . and he knew they hadn't forgotten what the pair was capable of. Sure, they'd calmed over the vorns—with a bit of help both knew they would have gotten themselves slaughtered without—but that long ago learned way of being still bubbled under the surface.

It was the reason he and Sunstreaker were even on this mission.

Because Prowl needed two bots that could go toe to toe with a mech that was crazier than they ever were. Which was saying something. Because there had been a time when the pair of them had been so lost they didn't even know each other.

**"****So we must expect the unexpected."**

**"****Isn't that why you brought us along?" **Sides offered as over their bond he could feel Sunny stiffen a little. He was not in the mood to be reminded that he was being used as a crazy mech tracker. Sides quickly sent a pulse of calm through their link, but Sunstreaker slammed him out.

The red mech hid a flinch trying to pretend that it didn't hurt.

However, his time to wonder over his brother's mood shattered rather dramatically when a blaster shot nailed him in the side of the chest and everything just kinda went to pit. Knocked backward with a pained grunt agony burned into Sides' chest as he scrambled, every sense inside him screaming at him to get back on his feet, but if it hadn't of been for Jazz yanking him back by the arm he would have ended up with a rather energon soaked hand stabbed through his helm.

**"****Holy frag!" **He hadn't meant to hiss it over the comm links, but once it was done it was done and a part of him registered the startled voices over the waves, aware of his twin slamming back the wall he had thrown up desperately trying to get a feel for him, but Sideswipe didn't have time to deal with either of that at the moment. Because a massive bulk of black and orange and glowing red optics was bull rushing him and the silver mech that had just saved his life—again—he had other things to worry about.

In a twist Sides was on his peds with a snarl before he could blink and with a metallic 'shank' his dueling swords glittered into life.

Vivid blue optics narrowed into slits at the dark chuckle that rose up in the massive black monster before him that skidded to a top at the sight of his blades. A part of him was aware of Jazz tense beside him, the saboteur's own blaster drawn, but both of them knew that gun might as well not even be loaded against this mech.

He put new definition to the word monster, and for Sideswipe to acknowledge something like that was saying something.

There was a kind of wild emptiness in the burning red optics that made even Sides' armor itch. There was nothing sane in that gaze. No kind of real thought process went through those optics. There was nothing but energon-lust and a twisted sense of hilarity that came from enjoying tearing out sparks.

Sideswipe had seen those kind of optics before.

In his two different kinds of reflections that both belonged to him and then didn't.

His own and his brother's.

Energon covered claws flexed before him, the comm link in his audios rang and he ignored it, dark optics held and burned, and then with a snarl they sprang.

* * *

Everything was kind of a blur to her, and not the good kind.

It was not the blur of colors and scents that swam in her processor to chase away everything else. This was a blur Jynx had not known in many, many vorns. This was a driven will to kill; it wasn't her blissful fun of doing whatever she pleased however she pleased to do it.

It really wasn't a feeling she liked.

This overwhelming blur that blocked out even the giddiness that usually came along with the hunt. There was nothing but this cold swirling blackness with those burning red optics flashing like a taught in the stolen images frozen in her processor.

Fallback.

_Fallback! _

How was that even possible?

He was dead. He didn't get out.

At least that had been what she thought had happened.

None of that mattered now though. All Jynx wanted was those damn red optics fading out before her visor as she tore his spark from its chamber and crushed it before him.

Yes.

That would make her feel better.

So, so, much better.

Once he was dead this coldness would go away. She could go back to laughing, go back to her blissful blur.

Her visor was tented so black that the light behind it was no longer visible—the tent reflecting her mood—as she prowled the hot sand beneath her peds following the coldness until she heard the sounds of clashing metal, snarling curses, and a familiar taunting voice that had her racing forward over the ridge of a sand hill to find something that faulted her on the ridge.

There was a flash of crimson red beside death black armor and a snarled hiss before two powerful titans collided and every sense inside Jynx came alive.

It was mesmerizing.

Almost nostalgic.

In a whirl of sharp swords and claws the massive mechs crashed again and again the red one on the defensive the whole time as the mech she now was absolutely positive was that glitch Fallback slashed, and tore, and ripped into him. He had no sword, no dagger, and the blaster that lie broken on the ground around their peds was of no use and it didn't really seem to be needed to the black demon.

Unease settled in Jynx's tanks.

Fallback had been good before—better than she was back then—but never that good.

And he had never fought so sloppy.

He drew energon and slashed off armor along with wires in every strike with those thick glittering orange claws, but the movements were all jerky and uncalculated. He wasn't looking for weaknesses. He wasn't fighting to win.

He was fighting to slaughter.

And his red opponent was just as dangerous as the monster was, but there was a purpose to his movements, a strategy he was trying to keep himself centered with. A strategy that was getting his aft handed to him.

Jynx's claws twitched as she stared down the ridge watching every upward thrust of an energon stained blade only come in contact with the wielder of those claws once or twice for every painful time the other dug in.

He was an impressive warrior, but against a mindless monster it was almost like he was . . . not afraid, but wary.

That was when Jynx caught sight of the blaster hole in his chest, hardly four inches above his spark. He was injured. Badly. And he still fought well enough to still be standing.

Which was more than could be said for the silver mech struggling to get back to his peds at the bottom of the ridge. Tilting her head the brightly colored femme took in the silver mech with the blue visor now dimmed and shattered from where it looked like he took a sucker punch to the faceplate. From her place on the ridge Jynx could see the energon gushing from the deep slice in the mech's back as he struggled to stay standing.

Then her optics drifted back to the battling mechs.

The red one twisted, ducked under a slice of claws, and came up behind Fallback slamming his elbow into his main backstrut which drew a dark laugh from the dark mech as he spun on his left foot and came up with the right one kicking the Enforcer square in the blaster whole in his chest. It drew a strangled curse from his lips as he stumbled from the pain that flashed in those vivid blue optics before Fallback snorted, sprang, and with a painful sounding crash had the red mech pinned to the ground his blade welding arms pinned above his head and a clawed ped cutting into his neck as he trashed and snarled under the heavier weight holding him down.

"Sideswipe!" The silver mech shouted in panic trying to stand only fall back to his knees in the hot sand.

"You should have stayed in your pit, fool." Fallback taunted, digging his sharp toes into the mech's throat cutting off his air supply and the energon flowing to his processor. The mech—she refused to give him a name in her mindlessness, there was point, he wasn't going to make it out of this alive—snarled kicking and wiggling against Fallback's hold, but it was obvious he wasn't going anywhere. Fallback was just too big to off balance from how he was pinned. He was going to die.

Jynx knew it, the silver mech knew it, the red mech knew it, and Fallback knew it. It was going to happen. He had lost, and so was the way of monsters. If you lost then you died, it was no bots fault but your own.

However, through her fogged processor that watched with morbid fascination the slaughter happening below her a pulsing thought came back to her, that cold determination of earlier rang true. Fallback killed Greaseslick.

And he was going to die for it.

The sooner the better.

Optics narrowing even further, she sprang. Her light peds thudded into the sand, a jump, a twist, a startled blue visor, a roll, a leap, vivid blue optics locking on her, red optics turning in confusion and then she barreled full force into Fallback's back.

And she wasted no times with pleasantries.

"You slaggin' pit-spawn slag eating fragging bastard! You're supposed to be dead!" Screaming with more ferocity then she had in a long time she took Fall to the ground with claws out, tearing and ripping into the sensitive panels under his winglets making the huge mech bellow in range and pain as they slammed into the sand. Her optics flashed dangerously as she scrambled when they rolled. Fallback twisted using his weight and hers to throw Jynx off and send her flipping. The femme was not so easily outdone though. In a spiral twist of gleaming white armor she slid across the dark sands drawing back her lips and hissing as wickedly as any feral robo-cat ever could, her visor darkened to a reflective mirror of black and her claws already dripping in Fallback's energon flashed in the sunlight.

The burn returned to her spark, the itch set in under her plating, her energon sang in her audios.

She was alive.

Oh so very alive!

"Jynx," The drawled dark tone was eerily familiar making her armor prickle and hidden away marks of long ago burn in memory. Shaking her helm to clear her processor she hissed through bared fangs at the mech who towered over her not four feet away.

"Fallback," She practically spit the designation.

"Here I was thinkin' yous was dead. Shouldn't yous be dead? After all _he _is dead."

Throwing herself forward she snarled out a curse leaping for his throat only to have Fallback dance out of the way leaving her to go flying through the air and skidding across the sand. He swung a leg to try and nail her in the back, but she darted to the side spinning and coming up again with razor like claws swiping him across the faceplate as he growled slamming out with his own fist to catch her in the side.

The uppercut slammed into her side, denting plating and setting her sensor-net on fire as she felt energon lines and internal mechanisms rupture inside. It drew a pained gasp from her and sent her stumbling leaving her back open for the cruel elbow that crashed into the middle of her back sending her crashing to the sand.

Her helm and back screamed in pain from both impacts, but not enough to daze her. Rolling to the left she came up to her peds just in time to watch Fallback slam his clawed toes into empty sand where she had just been. She didn't give him time to realize he'd missed though. Gathered every bit of force she had in her short thin legs she sprang for the mech who's lower torso she was hardly level with, and she caught him square in the hip. With the force of her jump she heard something inside the mechs hip pop and he bellowed out a curse of pain slinging a fist for her only to end up punching himself in the place she'd just injured as she sprang away again.

Dark red optics flashed in pain and met her own visor where even through the tented glass she felt as if he was holding her gaze. That mad swirl of animalistic notions and whims bore into her own swirling torrent of cold, single minded determination that saw nothing other than tearing his spark out. Just like his did.

A shudder ran through her insides, damping the fog ever so slightly.

In a way staring into those optics was like looking into a dark, twisted sort of mirror. Even a bot as mad as she was knew insanity when they saw it. For even though long ago she realized that she really was crazy—quite a feat because most times insane bots don't think their insane—Jynx knew in the end what losing a mind looked like and what it felt like. She'd felt it when it snapped and everything had kind of been a colorful, hilarious, yet empty blur ever since. She knew she had long ago left the land of rationally processing behind, but still even she couldn't touch the level of madness that was practically oozing out of the massive black and orange mech that circle stepped with her slowly through the now energon soaked sand.

Somewhere in the back of her processor she was aware that her lives' blood was gushing down the punctured dent in her side. She could feel the hot, sticky substance running down her platting just as she could see the gashes she had torn in Fallback along with the hobble in his step. It didn't click in her processor though. She was now lost in the depths of those optics she had at one time known that were now the same yet so very different, and she wondered if the same could be said about her.

When Fallback laughed lowly though she was snapped from her thoughts. "Little Jynx, still living in dreams."

She hissed at the taught her claws flexing and her spark burning.

"Poor little lost Jynx, you still don't understand do you? You still haven't figured it out? Even now after he is gone and you are left you still won't accept the truth."

"Mute it!" She snarled, unwilling to wonder which _he _the big mech was talking about. Because it wasn't possible that he knew. It just wasn't. Then again, he was supposed to be dead . . . so maybe that changed things. "I'll gladly shove your spark down your throat here in a klick or two you scrap-rat bastard! Just stand still!"

"Stand still?" He laughed a cold and empty sound that made her energon run a little cold. It wasn't natural, it wasn't right, and it wasn't just mad . . . it was empty. Sparkless; in a different sense of the term. "Nothing is still, Jynx. Haven't you heard? Still is dead. Just like sparks."

"_You're_ supposed to be dead!" She countered, because he _was_ supposed to be and her blurred mind was still hung up on that fact. She'd watched that damn place burn with him and all the others that wouldn't leave inside.

"You made sure of that didn't you?" He taunted.

She hissed with another show of her teeth and her two longer pointed feline like fangs.

"And yet here I am. Funny right? How it works. I'm still here, yet still is dead, and dead is not dead, and not dead is dead . . . you know a little bit about that don't ya? How it feels to be dead and to not be dead all at the same time."

She'd heard enough.

With a fake lunge to the right she knew his animalistic acting processor would take the bait and he did. He went to meet the jump that wasn't coming now as she sprang back left and then threw all of her tiny self forward knowing that so close together she wouldn't have enough force to take him down. So instead of down she'd go up.

Springing off the sands she crashed into his chest slamming her clawed toes in rapid session into his stomach plating ripping and tearing and shredding as she doubled up her fist and slammed it hard into the left side of his chest feeling the thick armor bend and cave a little with the first hit. However, it wasn't enough for her to break through. She drew her now leaking and damaged fist back for another strike only to feel two clawed hands dig into her back yanking her off and tearing a scream from her vocaliser before she found herself slammed into the sand and punched in the throat cutting off the sound.

Pain erupted with the hit as another set of claws—his feet—slammed hard into her middle crushing and bending whatever it came in contact with again and again. Though she was far from done just yet. Even coughing up the energon that was gathering in her mouth she timed it for when his foot came up again and then she rolled for all she was worth. Throwing her weight upward she sprang backward onto her palms and flung herself around back to her peds ignoring the flash of white hot agony that ran through her in favor of spring loading her step backward and throwing herself at Fallback once again.

She caught him surprised by the sudden lack of a femme under his kicks and this time when she slammed into his chest claws first she hammered her pointed claws into his chest hard enough that she puncture the hardened armor right over his spark chamber. The metal buckled and bent as a scream tore its way though his lips while he ripped at her trying to pry her off, but she held fast. Every claw she had dug in tightly as she forced her digging right hand forward until she broke through the squishy inside of the chamber.

Victory flashed through her processor, her energon sang, as she threw her helm back laughing at the pain and at the trophy she was about to tear from the glitch's chest grasping for the burning ball of hot light that should be there—

And came up with nothing.

_Nothing_?

There . . . there was no spark?

Her laughter cut off, her optics widened behind her visor, and she snapped her attention to the punctured hole. She hadn't missed. This was his spark chamber. There should be a spark.

But . . . there _was no spark_!

The low chuckle seemed to come from all around her with how tightly she had herself clawed to Fallback, and somehow in the eerie unease that flushed all the blur right out of her she tipped her helm back to hold the optics of the mech that even like this still seemed to tower over her.

Even with her claws in his chest.

He somehow loomed making every instinct inside her scream run. Because even insanity knows when something is just too crazy to believe. This was wrong. Oh so very wrong.

Where was his spark?

Everybot had a spark.

Only drones were sparkless and _this _was _no _drone.

It was Fallback. She remembered him!

And she distinctly _remembered_ that even back then he had a spark! As cold and merciless as he had been near the end even _then _he had had a spark.

"Oh little Jynx," He rumbled deeply and the highly tuned sensors atop her head pinned so deep into her helm that they left a slight gap against the white plating as for the first time in vorns she was absolutely terrified. "Still haven't figured it out. Sad, poor, lost little half without what makes her whole. You really need to figure it out darling. I'm a sparkless monster. We _all _are. Always were, always will be!"

And then he buried his claws in her shoulders and tore her off.

The pain flaring upside her shook her from her daze of confusion long enough to feel just how hard the glitch retched her arm as he flung her into a steep hill of sand. The shoulder joint in her right arm cracked with a sound that made her audios hurt even more then the screaming pain sensors while she crashed into the dirt and her limb fell limp to her side.

The only thing Jynx was thinking though was at least he didn't tear it out.

That didn't mean she wasn't in an insane amount of pain though. Her helm and processor were spinning with how much negative sensations her sensor-net was throwing at her. Everything was starting to get hazy, whether it was from energon loss or pain at this point she wasn't sure, her frame was just starting to get heavy. She wasn't going to keep this up for much longer.

This had to end.

Now.

Shoving her still working arm into the red sand she spun back upright working to get her heavy peds under her frame as Fallback slowly stalked toward her his red optics flashing, his movements jerky and loose like an animal playing with its prey yet unsure if the game should end so soon. At the moment Jynx was kind of hoping he'd decide to not end it as of yet, because that was the only chance she stood.

After all, how the frag did she kill a mech with no spark?

The only option she had left was take off his helm.

Yes.

Yes, that would do nicely. She'd take off his helm and then she'd put it on a stake. That is if she could still stand by the time she had that magical feat pulled off.

From the corner of her visor she caught sight of the red mech trying to hurriedly get back to his peds as the silver one not far off did the same. There was something flashing in their deep blue optics that were glued on her. Something she didn't understand, and refused to wonder about. They weren't going to be able to help her.

She would help herself.

She just had to time it right.

Balancing herself as well as she could on legs that wanted to sway out from under her she hissed low and long at the massive mech that stalked toward her his claws dripping energon as they twitched in anticipation at his side just as hers did.

"Hey! Fallback! Leave the femme the pit alone!" The black mech ignored the silver mech that stumbled forward only to crash back to the sand grasping his side. Jynx wanted to roll her optics and she might have if it hadn't of been a risk to take them off Fallback for even the slightest of nano-klicks.

The glitched Enforcer needed to mind his own damn business. Stupid once upon a time Autobot. Thought he and his little red warrior friend could take on something as wild as Fallback was proving to be.

Idiots.

"You, coward, come here and fight me!" The red one managed to get his peds back under him and stagger back up one arm grasping the horrible wound in his chest, but all that effort was going to prove for not.

Because Jynx saw her chance.

She saw it the moment the animalistic minded beast took the bait. So in the end she guessed the red mech's efforts weren't for not, for they gave her the opportunity she needed.

"What did you call—GAH!"

It all happened quicker than the blink of an optic really.

One klick Fall and Jynx had been staring each other down and then Fallback had made his life altering error.

He looked away from that pitch black visor. So he never even saw what hit him.

Jynx had gathered the last of her strength focusing it down into one well aimed leap. So the moment Fallback's helm twisted toward the red mech she sprang claws first aiming for the softer wires at the base of Fall's neck and she hit them dead on. His snarled retort to the warrior's sharp glossa was half out of his mouth before he even realized Jynx had slammed into him, dug her sharp claws into the vulnerable wiring at the base of his neck, and shoved both hands deep into them rupturing lines and shredding wires as she took hold of the main strut that linked helm to frame at the back of the neck and ripped with everything inside her just as his strangled moment of panic cut off as she yanked upward taking connective plating, wires, lines, and so much more in a wonderful spray of bright blue that splattered everywhere as she tore the mech's helm from his frame and they went crashing back into the sand.

For a few moments after the loud bang of dead weight hitting the ground Jynx just crouched there panting. Her ped claws still dug deep into Fallback's rapidly graying armor as his paint nanites died while his frame cooled. Through the dizzy haze that had taken over when they crashed to the ground she realized she was now painted in her energon as well as his—a feeling that should have made her giggle like a sparkling and go dancing around in circles, only this time it didn't—she was dizzy and aching down to her very spark as she let go of that severed helm and watched it roll back into the sand and pooling energon. Those now dead and dark optics staring into her very soul in a mockery that left her feeling oddly satisfied.

That had been a long time coming, yet it felt different then every other time she killed.

There was satisfaction but there was also this coldness in the bottom on her tanks that felt like some kind of warning. Though she didn't understand what it meant.

Rocking backward on the massive frame she was perched on she was going to try and stand but somehow she found herself tipping sideways and crashing into the sand. Coughing as she tried to push herself to her knees, dragging her half useless arm that had been used far too roughly just a few nano-klicks ago as the adrenalin had made her forget just how damaged it was as she used it to rip protoform and armor apart. Energon splattered down around her, she could even feel it running down her chin in a steady torrent that should probably be making her a bit nervous. She just couldn't find it in herself to care though as she tipped to the side and found herself laying in the pool of mixed energon gazing up at the bright desert sky.

Somewhere inside her processor she registered that she was dying.

She'd felt this before . . . many, many times before.

She did nothing about it though. She never did.

Death? It was not something she feared.

Pit? Ha. The only pit she believed in was the one she was currently in.

She wasn't afraid to die. Quite the opposite really. It was sort of something a cold, broken place in her spark embraced.

At least then it wouldn't hurt anymore.

Her vision was starting to go black and the world was fading into quiet bliss when something appeared over her. Hands gripped her, words were shouted through the fog, she watched a blurry red and white mech with light sky blue optics franticly look her over before turning to his side and shouting something then she felt his hands flying over her frame. Another silhouette appeared before her visor, but at that point she couldn't make it out really. It was two mechs with a slightly smaller one strung between them arms over both shoulders looking down at her and saying something.

Words she could no longer hear with emotions in their optics she could no longer read.

The last thing she was aware of before slipping into darkness was one of them nodding stiffly and strong arms from somewhere behind wrap around her and haul her up.

* * *

**And there it is. The first chapter of Jynx's story.**

**There are a lot of places its going from here, so if you like it please read and review. I really want to know what you guys think.**

**Usually I update once a week with my stories and I'm going to try and stay true to that, though we'll see how well that works out writing two at a time. No promises, but I will do my best. Now that it's started it _will _be finished. I refuse to give up.**

**So R&R please! :)**

**-Jaycee**


	2. Rude Awakening

**Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers. Just the Plot and OCs. **

**Well,**

**Hi guys. I guess I'll start with a huge I'm sorry. So, so, very sorry. This was supposed to be up a week ago, but you know that old saying 'when it rains it pours' . . . yeah that is so freaking true. **

**I know you guys don't care anything for excuses, but this time the lateness could not be helped. Because first off my computer died. **

**Yeah that was fun.**

**Luckily I had almost everything backed up to recent saves, so thank all that is great and powerful for that. I didn't lose too much. However, writing was put on a backburner for a bit simply because I had to find myself a new computer. Got that done last night. So yay, new computer! Still trying to figure out a whole knew system and such . . . less of a yay. And now I'll get down to the bigger issues. I won't bore you too much with it, just explain what's going on so maybe you guys will not hate me _too _much and might stick around to see where this is going. **

**I'm having some health issues, so lots of doctor visits and tests going on as they try to figure everything out, and I'm not sure when all of it should be done. Probably won't be more then a few weeks . . . hopefully. Nothing life threating. I'm alright. Just not really firing on all cylinders at the moment and won't be until I get this mess sorted out. So I guess I'm just saying I _am _trying to keep up with writing, it's what makes me happy, but health comes first. I'll try to keep the weekly updates going while all this is sorted out but I make no promises. Hope you guys understand.**

**Now,**

**Onto the fun stuff. WOW! The feedback on the last chapter was mind blowing! Thank you, thank you, thank you! You are all wonderful and I love you! *hugs* I'm so happy you love Jynx as much as I do.**

**So that's that little note, enough of my blabbering, now go read Chapter 2. Its important. We're going places, I swear. I just have to lay it all out for ya first. So enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 2

Rude Awakening

New Iacon—if one believed all the hype—was a glittering jewel of second chances in the middle of a war ravaged and mostly deserted planet. Home to law, and order, and peace, and honor, and all that good propaganda stuff. It was a three hundred square mile radius of towering walls standing between pristine streets and utter nothingness. Bots called the lands that the Prime and Lord High Protector had reclaimed the 'tame lands', the 'safe lands', the 'civilized lands'. Patches of territories carved out of the grey ruble where bots with the credits and the connections to do so came to start over, to try and be a part of the second home coming of sorts.

Because behind the hundred foot walls surrounded the glittering buildings of glass, stone, and metal that were already standing like pillars to the Well really was a chance for the Cybertronian race to try and start over. Reclaim the home that they had once destroyed.

And in the Prime's lands one could believe it was going quite well.

For New Iacon truly was beautiful.

It was clean streets carved out of the stone twisting through business complexes, apartments, town houses, schools, and all around domestication that came in every color the universe had ever known. It was a place bots were starting over.

_Really_ finding a second chance.

And behind the towering walls it was easy to forget the savage lands that lay on the other side of those hair-trigger borders that stood between the Enforcers and the Guard—what was left of the Autobots that won and the Decepticons that decided that severing 'good bots' was better than death—and the Master's Underground.

If optics stayed off of the military complex in the center of the city that served as the Enforcers' and the Elite Guard's headquarters as well as most of their homes as well as the Prime's palace—if one could call a humble house a palace—then it was probably easy to forget that outside the city there was still a very real war raging.

It was easy to see once one stepped inside the towering golden gates why bots forgot that there was a whole other population living out there in the desert sands and crumbling crystal forests carving out an existence for themselves.

The thing was though, there really _was _a world outside those high walls. A world that was still at war with itself.

And hiding behind walls was never going to keep them safe from what lie deep under the surface.

Which was probably why Jynx had always laughed at the glitches.

They thought they were safe from the wilds behind their shiny gates.

They couldn't of been more wrong.

* * *

There were very few things in the universe that Jynx feared.

See insanity doesn't tend to rationalize well, and what would normally register as fear for most bots really just amused her. In most cases she found mortal danger kind of funny.

It normally had her laughing pretty quickly.

Which was why there were so few things that actually computed for her well enough to bring fear to her spark. So few things in fact that she could count them on one hand. These things though were not things she liked to dwell on—usually she tried to pretend they didn't even exist because that made her life a whole lot simpler honestly—she tended to just roll on along through her fogged bliss in search of her next entertainment.

However, coming too tied and magnetized down to a medical berth in the middle of a medical bay was kind of one of those things that actually terrified the little femme. One because she'd long ago swore she'd die before she ever entered another medical bay, and two because . . . well she had pour experiences with everything that had to do with them; medics, drugs, surgeries, name it and somehow once or twice it had screwed her over.

Which was why she actively tried to avoid them.

But there wasn't much avoiding she could do magnetized to the hard metal surface.

So for a long few klicks the little white painted femme blinked through optics that had gone as round as moons in fear as she stared at a pearl white ceiling above her and a swinging light fixture as every wire in her frame went tight, her fist clenched, her jaw went stiff, her visor tinted completely black, and her spark slammed a billion miles a klick inside her chest.

A fact that she could hear quite plainly since there was a spark monitor standing on a pole beside her prison that sounded like it was about to short circuit.

Or maybe that was her.

Swallowing down the panic that built in her throat Jynx scrambled for the answer of how in pit she ended up magnetized to a medical berth with random wires and devices stabbed into her, and for about seven nano-klicks she was completely blank. Not something that was all that much of a surprise for her. She woke up more times then she cared to admit and had no fraggin' idea where in pit she was.

Normally that kind of made her giggle as well.

This time though she wasn't finding it all that amusing.

In fact, none of this was amusing. Especially when how she got here came rushing back.

A flash of red optics, dark armor, an eerily familiar voice.

Fallback.

She'd attacked Fallback.

She'd killed Fallback . . . after she tore open his chest and there hadn't been a spark.

She was like ninety-three percent sure that had happened. For the other seven percent she reminded herself that she might have very well been high or over energized or many other things she did to put herself to recharge, but for the most part she was really, sort of, positive that she had torn open Fallback's chest and there had been nothing inside.

What seemed like a life time ago she'd joked that the over grown glitch hadn't had a spark, but never in her wildest dreams had she every really thought that he didn't.

Because that wasn't_ fraggin' possible! _

With a snarl Jynx bucked against the magnetic hold that had her strapped to the table and twisted for all she was worth before she hissed out in rage—and fear—her processor far to clear and far too confused to be able to handle the sensation of being strapped down.

She couldn't do it.

She just couldn't.

She couldn't handle it. Not again.

She was _way _to fraggin' sober for this slag!

"RATCHET!"

A panicked yelp found its way through her struggle and she somehow registered that the monitors hooked to her were going insane and that she was fighting the magnetic holds on her so hard she was retching plating and armor from her frame.

But she didn't feel any of it.

The only thing in the tiny femme's processor was that she had to get the frag out of these bonds and the frag out of where ever she was, because Fallback had been there and if Fallback was around that could only mean more things that she would not be able to handle.

So she fought.

"RATCHET GET IN HERE SHE'S GONNA SLAGGING KILL HERSELF!" The same voice echoed over her thrashing, but it didn't echo over the scream that tore its way through her lips.

Trashing with everything inside her Jynx slammed her helm back what little bit she could raise it out of the magnetic hold and banged it as hard as she could against the surface that was keeping her prisoner. Her hands and claws flexing and fisting and yanking against the metal cuffs that kept not only her arms at her sides but her legs strapped down as well.

She kicked and flailed with every ounce of strength she had in her trying to break the magnetic hold but all she managed to do was draw her own energon as she tipped her helm back and screamed as loud as she could.

Primus honest panic swirling up inside her chest and coiled in the bottom of her tanks.

Every hard learned lesson she'd ever had beat into her processor screamed _run_.

As fast and as far as she could possibly go. Every fiber of her very being was on fire with the overwhelming panic of a caged creature that would do _anything _to be free of its bonds.

And anything is just what she would do.

Even if that meant trashing until she'd torn every bit of armored plating from her protoform. If that was what it took to trick the magnetizer into letting her go then that was just what she was going to do.

Pain be damned.

She'd couldn't feel it over the panic in her spark anyway so as of right then it didn't even cross her processor that she was quite literally tearing her plating off. All that did compute was the magnetic pull on her was starting to lessen. A little more thrashing and she would be free. Free to kill whatever glitch it was that put her here.

And kill them is just what she was going to do.

"Knock it off!" A snarled shout cut through her screaming as strong hands latched hold of her shoulders slamming her back down into the berth, laying the full weight of what had to be a very big mech over her thrashing frame until she could do little more then try and arch and wiggle against his hold.

And it did manage to hold her still for a about half a klick before she realized that a _mech_ had her _pinned_ _to a berth_.

And then everything just got about a billion times worse.

"Stop it!" He hissed at her as she let lose another scream, her optics closed tightly, and her spark pounding so hard the monitor somewhere near her had stopped beeping and was just screaming as loudly as she was at how fast it was trying to keep up with the time of her life source's pulses.

Jynx didn't care.

She didn't care about any of it.

All that was processing at the moment was she was tied down, a mech was holding her down, and she'd rather be dead then be in this position again.

So at that moment spark failure didn't seem like all that bad of an option.

"You're gonna fraggin' kill yourself, femme! Calm down! I'm not gonna hurt you!"

"Sunny, you're making it worse!"

"Mute it and get back on that damn berth, Sides!"

"Her spark is gonna go super nova!"

"Where the pit is Ratchet!?"

"First Aid, do something!"

There was commotion all around her, yelling and cursing, and running pedsteps but all Jynx knew was she'd yet to stop screaming, and thrashing under this huge mech's weight was not working out all that well. He had her pinned against the berth so that the magnetizers had gotten a better grip of her again. So she couldn't even arch against them anymore in the hopes to getting them to let go.

She had no way out of this situation and she knew it. Which meant she was at the mercy of whoever it was that had put her here and whoever it was that was holding her down.

That is she was until she felt the press of armor against her scrambling claws.

The mech that was holding her down was leaning against her hand . . . .

Bad move on his part.

Throwing her hand up as much as she could she found the unyielding surface of _very_ thick armored plating, but what she felt was also a hip joint and where there was a hip joint there were motor relays and highly sensitive wiring. So Jynx did what any bot would do if they were in her peds at the moment.

She took the cheap shot.

Lashing out she buried her claws in the thick metal taking polished paint off quicker than the blink of an optic as her claws buried deep into the dips and crevices of the armor tearing into malleable wiring, transformation motors, and sensitive protoform that lie underneath. Just as she did she snapped her optics open to glare through her visor at a—even despite the situation she recognized—handsome silver faceplate home to vivid blue optics that were dark with swirling emotions and framed in a black helmet with large cooling fans striped in golden vents and the gleam of golden armor.

She hated the shine of his paint.

She hated how handsome he was.

She hated that she recognized him as one of those Enforcers that had lost Fallback.

Yes . . . .

He was one of the ones that lost Fallback.

Fallback whom she had fought with and then ended up in this slaggin' mess because of it.

For Jynx, that was more than enough reason to blame him. More then enough reason to kill him until he was _dead_!

That and he was currently holding her down to a prison made of a magnetic berth.

So yeah, he totally had this coming.

In that split nano-klick where pain registered in his optics her scream turned to a snarl and she dug deeper latching hold of whatever she could find and then retched back with as much strength as she had. That wasn't a lot with her currently being trapped on the table, but when the mech let out a howl of pain and anger jerking away from her his movement hurt him worse than she ever would have been able to like this.

Because when her claws came free they were a jumble of torn wires, relays, energon, and bits of protoform.

It accrued to her that that damage just might scar.

Good.

The big golden mech reeled back with a snarled curse that would probably make a lesser—or saner—bot cringe in fear, but Jynx was way past fear at the moment. She was feeding off the anger that burned insider her now and she was getting _off _this damn berth even if it killed her.

And judging by the fury flashed through those dark blue orbs that were now narrowed into slits at her it just might.

"Sunstreaker! Don't!" In a flash of red and white a smaller mech—another one of the ones that had been with that patrol—latched hold of the golden mech that had already half sprung back to probably tear her spark out now wrestling with the smaller bot who shoved him back but really wasn't getting anywhere until a flash of crimson came up behind him and latched a hold of his drawn back arm pulling him away from where Jynx lay trapped.

It was the same crimson mech that had been pinned beneath Fallback's claws.

Jynx's optics drank in his appearance. Filing it away as another mech she would have to kill as soon as she freed herself.

She already knew how she'd do it. For it was far easier to plan their deaths then to focus on the fact that she was trapped.

And so for the crimson mech with the handsome silver faceplate that looked so very much like the golden mech's it might have had a part of her spark pulsing in fear again—had she been thinking clearly, which was not something she did often—for now though all she saw was vivid blue optics that matched that of the golden mech and a black helmeted helm topped with audio horns.

Whoever the mech who looked so eerily similar to the other was he certainly had a much higher level of control over him then the red and white mech did. So much in fact that Jynx's optics narrowed into slits.

Why did it seem she was suddenly surrounded by a bunch of soft sparked glitches?

She tore down to the mech's slaggin' protoform; he should be tearing her apart piece by piece. She was helpless there trapped on that berth. Yet the other two were doing everything in their power to wrangle the snarling mass of boiling rage back to the other side of the overly clean, overly white, overly bright medical bay.

The whole thing sickened her.

"Sunstreaker! Stop!" The red mech snarled, his helm right next to the other's audios as he fought to pull him back. "Calm down!"

"I'll fraggin' skin the glitch!" The golden one hissed.

Jynx hissed right back.

"Sideswipe, keep him back!" The two tone one pleaded as he kept turning between the femme strapped to the berth that was once again fighting so hard she was ripping out her own plating and the two struggling mechs now backed to the corner of the bay.

"What does it look like I'm tryin' to do!?"

"Get off me, Sides!" The golden mech slung the red one off and started for Jynx again, the little white femme couldn't stop her smile as she saw how heavily he limped off the hip she'd torn into. Seems she dug deeper then she thought she did.

At the sight of her smirk the golden bot snarled anew, slinging the red and white one that tried to stop him away and closed the distance between them while Jynx bared her fangs right back to him.

Her further struggle though, as well as his, was brought to an end when two bots slammed into the medical bay bringing everything to a screeching halt.

Even Jynx.

Because even she knew when it was best to lie still.

Facing the awe-inspiring radiance that was Optimus Prime, well even through her fog she knew enough to understand that quiet and still were going to give her the best chances of living long enough to tear them all to itty bitty little pieces. Because she was still very much planning that.

She'd already had the list of which parts she'd take off them and the order in which she would draw out screams started in the back of her processor. She was stewing, and that never ended well for those that were foolish enough to get her to this state.

"Enough," The Prime didn't shout as he walked calmly and proudly into the calamity that was the medical bay, his wise light blue optics shifting over the two tense forms of his trusted pair of chaos bringers and the frantic form of First Aid who was shifting nervously on his peds torn between the calming spark monitor, the berth their guest was resting on, and the twins that were now several paces backed away from the berth Sunstreaker had been charging too now that Sideswipe had him by the arm and yanked him back once again.

However, the Prime's gaze shifted back to the rather small white plated, black visor wearing femme with blue splashed along her helm and her pale silver cheekplates who lay there magnetized—and for some reason leaking rather badly, it seemed she had been struggling so much the magnetic hold on her had torn her plating lose from her protoform in many places—with her long silver claw tipped fingers curled into tight fist. She was strung as taught as a bow string, very clearly ready to come undone as violently as an acid hurricane and likely to cause twice the damage.

His gaze traveled over her.

This was the femme that had been giving Prowl so much trouble.

This was the murderess that had slaughter dozens of his Guard and Enforcer patrols.

This was the bot who the profile report listed as clinically insane. Who had the track record to back that assumption up.

This was Jynx.

His gaze shifted up to hold the optics that hid somewhere behind that visor that was tinted so dark not even the light of her optics could be seen behind. Yet somehow the glare behind that slim, curved piece of black glass burned into his armored plating and the Prime suddenly believed the things Jazz had told him after First Aid patched him and Sideswipe up while Ratchet was chest deep in energon trying to stop the little femme's frame from leaking out. Seems he was going to be piecing her back together again with how much plating she'd managed to rip off.

The tall yellow and red medic at his side though wasn't moving an inch, and considering his medical bay was up in shambles and he wasn't yelling at the top of his vocal processor something was up.

Optimus tore his gaze away from the glare he could feel to take in the form of his trusted CMO and friend.

But Ratchet's gaze did not leave the femme who pulled her lips back in a snarl at him. A loud answering growl rumbled out of Sunstreaker and Sideswipe hissed lowly under his breath at the threat to the mechs that had taught them how to live again. They would not allow harm to come to the medic _or _the Prime that stood beside him. Of that Optimus was quite sure of.

Though the sound did seem to distract Jynx for a moment allowing the massive blue and red flamed mech to see a bit of nervousness flash through the tinted glass over her optics when she tilted her helm back toward them the slightest bit.

She was afraid. At least some part of her was.

Interesting.

It was that that Ratchet chose to spoke.

"First Aid,"

The apprentice straightened under his boss's attention.

"Y-yes, Ratchet?"

"Go down to Jazz's office for me and tell the silver glitch that he's on light duty for a reason and that if I catch him sparing with Ironhide again within the next Decacycle I'll turn him into a berth side lamp."

"Couldn't you just comm—"

"_Now_!"

"Yes, sir!" And just like that the two tone mech was gone in a flash letting Ratchet turn his focus to the pair of snarling twins. His gaze focused in on the energon dripping down Sunstreaker's hip, the torn armor and ripped wiring that was visible even from where he stood.

"Sunstreaker, Sideswipe." His tone was no nonsense, the normal one he used when addressing the pair and even if one was on the recovery roster and the other looked like he would be in a few nanos the two straightened under his attention. His dark blue optics, guarded and hard to read at the moment, pinned them where they stood and the growling came to an end.

"We were just trying to calm her down," Sides defended with a glance to the femme when she snorted and hissed. "Then she took a chunk out of Sunny."

"Something I'll gladly repay!" The golden mech rumbled.

That was when Jynx decided she'd had enough of this talking as if she wasn't laying prisoner right before them. So she let out a rumble of her own. Even if compared to the deep pitch of the mech's she might as well have sounded like a youngling testing out new engine upgrades.

"You can try, _Goldie_." She ended the name with a feral hiss.

The golden mech bristled. "What did you just call me you pint sized little glitch!?"

He made a compulsive leap forward only to have the crimson one snatch hold and try to pull him back from attacking a defenseless femme, but he only got drug along three feet as the mech closed the distance and Jynx's frame came alive at the prospect of the chase to tear him to tiny little pieces if only he'd get close enough to give her a chance to get off this medical berth.

He didn't get any further than that though. Much to her disappointment.

"I said that was _enough_!" The Prime's deep baritone rumbled through the entire medical bay jarring Jynx to her very core making her—before she'd even known she'd done it—go completely and utterly still. The command in that tone, the sheer presence, which demanded no less then absolute respect and obedience, awoke something inside the young femme that she hadn't felt in what felt like a lifetime.

Every bit of feral drive inside her grinded to a halt and she was left laying there listening for the next orders she was given.

And she absolutely _hated_ it.

She'd sworn never again to let the words of a mech that thought himself bigger and better then her dictate what she did. Yet here she was.

Laying there completely still, strapped and magnetized down to a berth, waiting for what was coming next. All because of a tone of voice.

Quite honestly, in that moment, she kind of felt like screaming again. Or tearing the Prime apart. Which every came first really.

"Sideswipe," The Prime's gaze nailed the red mech then hit the gold one. "Sunstreaker. Don't touch her."

"Look what she fraggin' did!" The gold one—she had gathered by now he was Sunstreaker—flung a hand to his leaking hip and then went back to glaring at her.

She twisted her helm back to the pair and let out another hiss, but when the Prime's deep chest rumbled a warning she went still again almost sinking down into herself as she lay there leaking on that berth with a spark monitor still annoying beeping—becoming a little bit too fast again—over to the side of her audios.

Then the medic spoke up. "Sideswipe, help your idiot brother here limp down to Hoist and get him to check, your patches Sides, and fix you Sunstreaker. Then limp your trouble making afts down to the conference hall."

"But it wasn't our fault this time!" The crimson one—she had also gathered this one was Sideswipe, she remember his designation from before she tackled a sparkless monster off him, but then she hadn't had the frame of processor to really give it to him because when she was that fogged there were no such things as designations. Only meaningless faceplates.—whined to the two-tone medic.

"I don't _slaggin_' care whose fraggin' fault it was!" He whipped a wrench out of subspace and chunked it at the two who then decided that bolting for the door like kicked turbo-pups with their tails tucked was a good idea. "DO AS I FRAGGIN' SAY YOU GLITCHES! Ungrateful pains in my aft! Beat it!"

"We're not ungrateful!" Sideswipe hollered right back before the swishing door slammed shut behind him he and the one that Jynx now was sure was his brother leaving the little femme alone in a medical bay with the CMO of the Enforcers—she'd seen his picture before just as she'd seen the Prime's—and the Prime of the ruling powers of Cybertron.

After blinking at them for a few moments it was pretty clear in Jynx's helm.

She was screwed. Very. Very screwed.

Still laying tense on the hard grey berth she twisted her helm to the side letting her blacked out visor allow her to scrutinize. The fear had long ago faded back to the pure instinct of breaking out of a cage that had now become a bubbling fester under her aching plating as the Prime's gaze landed on her again.

A rationally minded bot would probably have seen that there really wasn't malice in the mech's gaze. His or his CMO's. They might have seen that the large mechs were not looking at her as if she was some captured prize.

Jynx could not see those things though.

Through her optics there was nothing other than two holding her captive that stood between her and her way out. So that pretty much just finalized it in her processor that she was going to kill everything bot in this whole damn place just because she was being forced to stay here.

Her momentary stall at the commanding tone had gone leaving behind only the burning itch under her plating and energon thumping in her audios. Her claws twitched as a scowl pulled at her plain faceplate. She _hated_ the feeling that his voice had brought back to her spark.

The beaten in lessons rushing back to the surface.

She couldn't believe she let herself react that way.

For she was no longer any mech's puppet. She no longer belonged to _anybot _and she never would again!

She obeyed _no _mech!

And she ignored the taunting voice in the bottom of her pitiful excuse for a spark that rose up in an echoing reminder of how much that was nothing but a pretty little lie she'd been telling herself for far, far too long.

A lie she told because she couldn't handle the truth of things. Not right now. Preferably not ever. She didn't like to be forced to face up to truthful facts. She rather preferred her meaningless blur of color and sound that was frequently dotted with wonderful screams or horror and sprays of splattering energon.

Yeah.

That was much better than this cold realization of helplessness that had descended upon her.

That was not something she could handle.

Not while she was laying there at the mercy of somebot. Not while her processor was so agonizingly clear.

Because if she went _there _she'd end up a puddle of tears on the overly clean white floor a few feet below her, and since Jynx no longer cried that would be rather inconvenient.

So she sucked it up, swallowed down the panic rising in the back of her throat that tasted suspiciously like under processed energon, and stared trough tinted glass into the optics of the two mechs that watched her right back.

And that was how it was for what felt like an eternity.

They just stood there and stared at her as she clenched and unclenched her claws trying to keep her processor busy. The longer the silence stretched on though the more she desperately needed to fill it.

With _something_.

Preferably screams.

But that didn't appear to be likely anytime soon so she ground her jaw and waited.

In a medical bay.

Strapped to a berth.

Held prisoner.

Under the scrutiny of the ruling Prime.

Damn she was _way_ too sober for this.

Fortunately—or unfortunately, that had really yet to be decided—the Prime seemed to grow tired of his scrutinizing and stepping forward a few steps, watching carefully as with each one he drew closer Jynx's frame wound even tighter, he lifted a single hand in careful surrender though all Jynx did was invisibly narrow her optics behind her visor.

"I've heard quite a lot about you, Miss Jynx." He rumbled lowly, as if he was trying to keep that commanding tone of his neutral and unthreatening. Like he was speaking to some spooked robo-cat balled up, arched, and hissing in the corner. Claws out and fangs bared. More than willing to come out fighting when that invisible line of tolerance was crossed.

In many ways.

She was.

Jynx didn't care much for it anymore. His attempt to keep her calm just annoyed her, but it was his voice that really had her frame on a razor's edge.

It made her plating prickle, as did the title she in no way deserved.

Which was why she barked a cold and toneless laugh at him. It was far from real, and far from sane as it echoed around the too still room. "_Miss_? Primus you must need your optics checked oh your Primey highness, _Sir_."

Optimus lifted and optic ridged.

Ratchet bit back a chuckle.

But Jynx wasn't paying enough attention to notice either things.

"Figure it out now, ya over grown _glitch _if you call me a _Miss _again, your dear turbo-pup followers are gonna find you hanging from your office door by your peds without a helm. I. Am. Not. A. Miss. Do not _ever_ call me that again."

She didn't deserve such a title. She might be crazy, but even she wasn't _that _crazy.

She was nothing but a gutter sparked scrap-rat that had run too far from her fate, and that was all she would ever be. There was no room for a title beside her designation.

She didn't want one anyways.

The Prime said nothing in response to her threats of decapitating the ruler of Cybertron. Surprisingly neither did his little—he really wasn't little, but pretending he was little made Jynx feel better—medic friend. They just watched her for a klick as she tugged uselessly at the binds and magnets that held her.

"Forgive me," The Prime finally rumbled out as he carefully kept both hands where she could see them as he took another step forward.

"Release me and we'll talk about it." She snapped right back.

The medic chuckled as he too stepped forward slowly. "Somehow I think you'd do _anything_ but talk if we let you up."

A feral grin worked its way up her faceplate and though they couldn't see it her optic ridges wiggled behind the black visor. "Come here and find out."

"I like my spark where it is, femme." Ratchet gave a wiry grin right back to her.

"I'll make it quick." Jynx promised almost sweetly. It had been a long time since a bot had dared banter with her. Normally they were all screaming or dead by now. So it was kind of a neat change to the norm if she could make herself forget that she was strapped down and leaking on a medical berth.

However, that really wasn't working out well.

"I bet you could." The Prime had closed the distance between himself and the table, but he left a good three feet between them. One to try and keep the little white femme somewhat calm and two because she was already so tense he was sure she was going to snap a backstrut if he got any closer to her. So he stopped there making sure he kept his gaze level with her visor because even if he couldn't see the light of her optics he knew they were there.

It was a remarkable ability she possessed.

To glare so harshly that the one that received it didn't need to see it to be able to feel the heat almost blister their paint.

This femme really was something else.

If the Prime had doubted his idea before, he wasn't now. The only problem was going to be whether or not she'd agree to it. However, that questioning would have to wait for the moment. First Ratchet needed to fix her . . . again.

The first time hadn't been that hard. She'd been in stasis lock.

Something told Optimus this time wasn't going to be quite so easy. If they lay a single finger on her there was no telling what she'd do trying to get out of that berth. She'd been either brave, or stupid, or insane enough to take a swipe at Sunstreaker.

What she was willing to do to the medic she had no reason to trust when he tried to get a hold of her was up to speculation.

It probably wouldn't be all that friendly whatever it was. That much Optimus was pretty sure of.

Ratchet reached Optimus' side watching how the little femme hissed quietly when he reached for the I.V. at the side of the berth. He was forced to stop when she bent against the bonds holding her letting out an even deeper hiss.

"Just tryin' to help you femme." The medic told her softly.

"Then you can let me the frag off this berth. That would help me!" She snarled out each syllable twisting and pulling against the magnetic hold that kept her pinned.

"If I didn't think you'd slaughter half my city as soon as you were let up I might, Jynx." The Prime told her honestly. "But I'm pretty sure you would."

"Count on it. I'll get off this damn thing sooner or later and when I do . . . ." She glared through the dark glass over her optics the smolder that somehow came through burning into both mechs' plating and let the threat hang in the air as she struggled.

That was when Ratchet had enough.

He respected a will to survive, but he would not have his home and family threatened. Not by the little femme he'd put back together a few breems ago.

"That's enough of your mouth, Feisty."

And the words surprisingly sliced her into silence. Well one word actually. One that made her shiver. That name.

"If we wanted to hurt you don't you think you would have woken up in a far worst place then a medical bay if you had woken up at all?"

No.

No she didn't.

Actually, there were only three places in the whole entire damn universe that were _more _terrifying for her at the moment. Not that she wanted to think about them right now.

Her processor was too clear.

Her since of humor far too dead.

_She couldn't handle this_.

So all she could do was lay there on that berth and stare.

"No one here is going to hurt you, contraire to what you'd do if we let you off that berth." Ratchet continued moving toward I.V. that would pump the femme full of sedatives so he could fix her.

Again.

"Why the frag should I believe you?" Her voice was wavering slightly and it made her want to purge, but she kept back the taste in her mouth watching the medic move toward those I.V.s that she knew by the orange liquid inside would put her out and vulnerable to who knows what.

"You have my word, no harm with come to you." The Prime chose that moment to speak up again making Jynx have to bite back a laugh.

"Your word?" She let her gaze rake over him. "What good is your _word _to me? Oh high Primey, you're terribly misinformed if you think I give a damn about your _word_."

"That's too bad." He shrugged his thick red and blue shoulders making Jynx glare even harsher. "Because you're just going to have to take it. Since you're not going anywhere anytime soon. You're a wanted fugitive, Jynx. Wanted for theft, assault, battery, murder, arsine, and whatever else I missed when I skimmed the profile report Prowl gave me with your designation flashing on top of it. You're walking a very thin line little femme. I suggested from here on out you take everything I say into _heavy _consideration and you should be mindful of everything you do. It will be the difference between life and death. The only reason I haven't let Ironhide put you in front of a firing squad is because you saved the lives of two of my very good friends, and because I'm interested in what you might know. So behave for the medic while he fixes what you have done to yourself by rash actions and when you wake again we will have a little chat that you _will _take seriously or you will find yourself greeting the next dawn at the end of Ironhide's plasma cannon. Heed that. Because I don't think even you are crazy enough think I'm bluffing. You've murdered scores of my bots for no reason whatsoever. If I were you I would not doubt that I'm more than willing to make sure their deaths were not in vein."

Jynx blinked blankly back at him before twisting her helm away and opting for silence. That deep, commanding baritone had shook off any of her normal fiery come backs. Once again there was nothing inside her she could argue with that tone.

She didn't know how.

She heard the switch on the I.V. flip and within nanos felt the sedatives slip into her veins. She'd taken more than enough things far more powerful then this slag for her to know what it felt like to have her processor slip into emptiness. This emptiness wasn't the kind she chased though. It wasn't nearly strong enough to stop what was coming. That she knew for sure.

And when the drug swirled in taking affect she couldn't find it inside herself to even be afraid anymore.

Because being afraid was pointless.

It wouldn't change anything.

And it certainly wouldn't keep the images away.

No.

She was far to sober, and feeling far too sane for the first time in _vorns_, for that.

* * *

"Fraggin' two bit little glitch when I get my slaggin' hands on her I'll—"

SLAM!

"Do absolutely nothing." Optimus strolling through the slammed open conference hall doors brought Sunstreaker's pacing and grumbling to a stop. The big golden mech paused in his threatening to watch the ruler of Cybertron and his chief medic walk in leisurely to join the already gathered assortment of bots.

The Prime's trusted cabinet.

Not something Sunstreaker or Sideswipe ever really imagined they would end up a part of. Yet here they were. A valued opinion.

If for no other reason for their . . . _unique _way of looking at things, and because after millions of vorns of war this crazy little group of theirs had formed some kind of really _weird _family.

Oddly enough.

The twins were okay with that.

It wasn't the worst place they'd ever found themselves in. Quite the opposite really.

"And why won't he?" Ironhide's low rumble as the massive ebony cannon welder sitting a few chairs down the massive table in the huge grey room drew all optics to him as Optimus walked to sit at the head of the table between Elita and Megatron while Ratchet took a seat near Prowl. Megatron was leaned back in his chair with his large peds propped up on the table picking at his long clawed fingers with the end of a dagger.

Megs was in a mood.

And Sideswipe, along with Jazz, found that hilarious.

Their once upon a time archenemy had somehow become one of their new favorite means of entertainment. He was even more fun to mess with now that when they pissed him off by pranking him his threats to dismantle them were more or less jokes now and not actual death threats.

Most times.

Because, well, Sideswipe was nothing if not eccentric and he didn't often really understand the concept of lines being drawn in sand. He tended to think they were more like friendly guidelines and not the difference between waking up in Ratchet's med bay, and not waking up at all.

"Yes, little brother." Megatron's snort made the only slighter shorter mech beside him twist his regal helm and regard him with an amused smirk. "Why shouldn't you let one of us to just kill the glitch?"

"You of all bots should know an opportunity such as this when you see it, Megatron." Optimus countered making his larger, older, brother pause in his cleaning of his claws and glance his way.

"And what opportunity is this?"

Jazz's amused chuckle drew attention to him. "Did _none _of you read the report I sent out?"

"You actually finished a report?" Ironhide lifted an optic ridge at the shorter visor wearing saboteur.

Said saboteur simply glared playfully in response.

Suddenly, Sideswipe's hand shot into the air at the end of the table making his brother—who had resumed pacing, it happened a lot no bot was really paying him all that much mind—roll his optics as he started waving it back and forth rather comically over his head.

Elita had to stifle a laugh while the big crimson mech was all but hoping in his seat.

"I read it!"

Prowl leaned around the chuckling frame of his sparkmate giving his chevron topped helm a slight tilt as he regarded the vibrating warrior. "_You _actually read a patrol debriefing?"

Sides' smile faltered slightly before he huffed at the newly appointed advisor to the Prime and Chief of the Enforcers. "Well there wasn't much else to do while Ratch had me on berth rest now was there?"

"The simple fact that you _stayed _on berth rest also leads to questions of actions not par your norm."

The red mech shrugged. "It's been a weird few Decacycles, Prowl. I think we can all agree to that much. How often do you meet a mech that has no spark? Because I haven't met many. Been plenty I thought might not know they had one, but never seen one that was not a drone that _didn't _have a spark. I'm still sorta freaked out over the whole thing. Don't know about you, but when I shoot a mech in the spark chamber I expect him to die. Not get up, laugh in my faceplate, and then stroll off through the streets after he dropped a building on my helm. Just like I kind of expected him to die after that little femme handed him his aft and tore open his chest. He didn't then though either. She had to take off his helm."

He paused for a moment to lift an optic ridge at the overly serious black and white mech as Sunstreaker growled and fumed still pacing behind him.

He was still steaming about earlier.

Not that Sides thought he would not be. He had been trying to do a _good _thing and got a nice sized chuck of his hip torn out because of it. He wasn't going to be in a hurry to do overly nice things again outside of his designated promise with his twin of not killing the minis for simply breathing for a good long while probably.

"I'm still kinda hung up on that." Sides finished with a nod to which Prowl regrettably offered him an agreeing helm tilt. Not really a nod, but Sides was use to Prowl's way of . . . being Prowl.

They all were.

Especially with things that didn't make any kind of logical sense.

"That is something we all are still wondering about, Sides." Jazz said quietly. "Which is why we're all here."

"About that," Sunstreaker seemed to deem then a good enough time as any to chime in. "Why are me and Sides here? We have other slag we could be doing."

"Like what?" Ratchet snorted at him, knowing the warrior just wanted out of here so he could go take something apart and let his anger out on nonliving things that he couldn't get in trouble for dismantling and destroying. He was as angry and frustrated as the rest of them. It was just Sunstreaker had never been all that great at handling it.

"Like blowing up the training rooms." The golden mech snapped.

"Sunstreaker," Optimus' voice drew the bright mech's dark, vivid, blue optics down the table where the powerful mech that was one of very few Sunstreaker actually respected was watching him. "Please, sit down. You're here because I need the input of both of you on this matter."

Sideswipe perked up at that as Sunstreaker— still grumbling under his breath about little idiot femme glitches that he was going to murder in their recharge—slumped down in the seat next to his twin.

"What do you want our input about? I gave my side of what happened when Ratch debriefed me. I told him all of what happened."

"Yes, Sides." Optimus leaned back in his chair his intelligent optics seemingly far away as they thought over all the things that had happened over the last vorns. The war coming to an end, the miracle of finding the brother he had once knew locked away under a dark shell of mistakes, returning to Cybertron, starting to try and rebuild, finding that was not going to be a easy as they all might have thought, clashing with the Underground and the rest of the rebels that roamed the territories that the 'Autobots'—or at least what they had become now, Elite Guard, Enforcers, and much more—didn't have control over, finding that they had come home from a lifetime at war to find another one waiting on their doorstep, and then probably the most disturbing and recent thing that had happened to Optimus and his strange little assortment of friends and family, many of which sat around this table with him.

The _monster _that they had found roaming the borderlands.

The mech with no grasp on sanity . . . and no spark.

Fallback.

The mech that this strange little femme had _known_. Had been able to kill when his best mechs had nearly gotten themselves scrapped just trying to bring back in so that Ratchet, Soundwave, Wheeljack, and Perceptor could try and figure out what the frag he was.

"That is the reason you're here." The Prime finished.

"Get to the point, Optimus." Megatron drawled. "I have border patrols to organize."

"The point," Optimus cast his optics around the table. "Is we haven't the slightest clue in all of Primus' big, wonderful universe what in the name of the Allspark is going on."

And for a moment the table was silent at the Prime confessing what it was they all already knew too well before Jazz slumped back in his chair and sighed. "Well I could have told ya that."

"And so the question on the table is," Optimus went on. "What are we going to do now?"

"Let me and Ironhide lose in the desert." Megatron said. "We'll fix it."

"That we could." Ironhide nodded, his cannons humming faintly at the prospect of solving this slaggin' horror story. Because even if it made his war hardened spark cringe to admit it, the stuff that was happening made his armor crawl. Mechs just didn't not have sparks! That wasn't how it worked.

Not to mention the Underground was really starting to make his energon boil. Them and their _Master_.

The former weapons specialist was itching to show them how much threatening the second chance Cybertron and everybot on her were getting was not going to pay off well in the end for them. He would make sure of that fact.

"And what would that solve in the long run?" Elita spoke up, glancing between the pair of massive battle ready mechs. "Do you think you could just slaughter your way through the uncivilized villages likes the orns of old? Do you think that killing everybot that is on the outside of our borders is going to fix anything? Let's be honest with ourselves mechs. They are not our problem. They are not helping by any means, but our real problem is what lies beneath them. And the fact is that we have no way to reach what it truly is we're fighting. Do you think you could just blast your way into one of those few tunnel entrances we know of and stumble your way around in a darkness that no radar, or sensors, or scanners, or tracking devices can work in? Because if you do, then you both are truly moronic."

And just like that every mech present was reminded that Elita One was not Optimus' mate just because she was a pretty faceplate. There was a reason she was the femme divisions commander. There was a reason she had survived to still be sitting daintily at the huge red and blue mech's side, her light, dawn, colored armor glittering in the florescent lights.

She was not somebot to be taken lightly.

And she was in no way afraid to put mechs twice her size back in their place, deflate their egos just the tad. Especially Ironhide's. After all, it was fun. He was her sister's mate after all, and when Chromia was away it was her job to keep the big trigger happy robo-kitten in disguise in his place.

When the black mech bowed his helm it was very clear that she had. For even Megatron had always respected the femme when she spoke. Even way back when he was trying to scrap her. He always respected her.

Which was why he too lowered his helm with a nod for her to go on.

"Slaughtering them will change nothing, not to mention it is wrong." She went on. "And to be honest I'm not even sure we could tame all of the unclaimed lands. The bots in them . . . well the way I see it they are braver then us all. They are the ones that _stayed_. Or have you lot forgotten that? Forgotten that when we rocketed off into space leaving a dying planet and all those too poor or not proud to come along we left they all to die."

"We were fighting a war, Elita." Prowl cut in stiffly.

"And were they not?" She shot right back. "I think a good portion of the time we forgot the neutrals and all they went through while we choose sides."

"With all due respect Lady Prime," Sideswipe said from his end of the table where he sat beside his twin watching the femme carefully. "It was they who didn't choose a side. It was a choice. We all made it. In one way or another. Even if you don't choose a side that is still making a choice. Just as they choose to stay."

"They sure don't mind choosing a side now." Sunstreaker grumbled under his breath.

"Yes," She nodded. "They don't. Now they choose to protect their way of life. From us. The bots that tore apart our own home fighting each other and that now come swooping back in with numbers, resources, and laws. We're taking over their home. As violent and cut throat as their methods are, there was a time when all of Cybertron was that way. Before order and law. Before Iacon. Before the Primes rein came again. When the Prime left they resorted back to the old ways. Of only the strong and cunning survive. They lived as they could the only way they could. Well now the Prime has come back and ordered they do as he and his armies say." She cut her bright sky optics to her mate that sat at her side listening very carefully to her express the conversation they had had a billions times since _Ark 2_ landed back home.

Optimus' wise blue optics held the response she knew they would and she nodded to him before she turned back to the table.

"And they don't want too. Quite frankly, I don't really blame them. They made the best of a dying world they were all left to rust on because they wouldn't choose a side in a fight that really shouldn't have even been a fight in the first place."

Megatron winched ever so slightly, scowling down at the dagger he was twisting between his claws. Saved from the darkness that had consumed him did not mean he was saved from the memories of everything he had done. Nor of the pain of now trying to make up for it the only way he knew how.

He was trying.

Something no bot—beside his brother—ever really saw coming.

Most still thought it was a bit weird. Even two hundred vorns after the war ended and they finally made it back to Cybertron. There were some that still looked at Megatron and saw the warlord that a poor choice had made him.

_A choice. _

He could relate to the rebels in that way. He understood the choice of doing whatever it took to get and keep what you wanted. Even if it destroyed you from the inside out.

"And so they fight us. They fight for what they believe in. Is that not what we did? This is just another war, gentlemechs. You all know this. Only this time we're fighting two opponents. One side that just wants to be left alone and the other ones that want to kill us all and gut us like turbo-foxes in our recharge. The ones we don't understand. The ones we don't see coming until they wipe out whole patrols and then vanish. The rebels are not what we should be concerned with—they are a factor that must be attended too yes, but for the most part they just want the rights that were once denied to them, the rights to live and choose—our real problem mechs, is the Underground and their Master. Bots we don't even know who are."

Leaning back in her chair the orange-ish, red-ish, pink-ish femme crossed her arms over her chest as the mechs around her nodded solemnly. She gazed at them all thoroughly before she finished.

"That is what has been our problem since we returned, hasn't it? That we don't know what or who we are dealing with."

"What is your point, Elita?" Ratchet questioned.

She cast her optics to the yellow and red medic. "We need an inside optic. That is my point."

"Well that would be easy if they didn't kill or almost kill every spy we've ever gotten in." Sideswipe huffed. "Including me and Jazz."

"This is true." Jazz sighed quietly looking down at the hard grey table before him. "We've lost a good number of great bots." His visor darkened with his tone. "And I can't figure out how it is they sniff us out. Even me."

"It all keeps coming back down to that." Prowl said his optics leaving the tense shoulders of his mate to find Optimus' optics. "Doesn't it? It's like Elita says. We don't know enough to be doing anything other than shooting blindly into the dark. I can't plan for that. I can't strategize that. I can't keep our bots from dying with that."

"And you shouldn't be expected too." Optimus' heavy nod as he leaned forward showed the weight of so much on his shoulders. It showed how much was resting on him. One war won and another just begun. A war in which his enemy didn't even have a true designation, let alone a faceplate.

It was a war that if he had any hopes of winning he was going to need something that was a different kind of secret weapon. A weapon he was very much aware he didn't truly have a way to control, or a guarantee that it wouldn't come back to bite him in the aft.

This little idea he had blooming in the back of his processor was—without a doubt—going to be the second most insane thing he'd ever done. Only coming after lowering that blade from his brother's helm when he had saw something he recognized flashed through those red orbs of his on the final orns of the war.

This was either going to save Cybertron or it was going to destroy her once and for all.

Only time would tell if Optimus was right to be trying this or not.

"Than what_ are _we going to do?" Ironhide rumbled. "Because its painfully obvious what we are doing isn't going to get us anywhere."

"What we're going to do, old friend." Optimus sat taller in his chair taking in every faceplate around him before he just came out with it. "Is hire this impressive little murderess."

* * *

**Good luck with that one Big Bot. You're gonna need it.**

**And there we have Chapter 2. Medical bays and conference halls. Its not as action packed as chapter 1, but have no fear. It'll come. We're building story peeps, and it is going to be a crazy one.**

**So, please read and review! I love you see what you guys think! **

**I'll do my best to have the next chapter up by next weekend, probably Saturday. Thank you for reading!**

**-Jay**


	3. Job Offers

**Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers. Just the plot and OCs.**

* * *

Chapter 3

Job Offers

For a moment there was silence after the words left his mouth.

Absolute silence.

The Prime was actually pretty sure he could hear the beating of every spark around him for a good few nanos, and then Prowl busted out laughing.

Prowl.

_Prowl_.

Laughed. As in . . . he _laughed_.

And that wasn't really the reaction Optimus was going for.

Not that he didn't think some reaction would follow him uttering such an insane thing. He knew it would. This just wasn't the one he had been expecting. Because Prowl really didn't laugh often.

And the big red and blue mech really couldn't recall him laughing in a meeting.

Ever.

But hey, on the bright side, he didn't glitch yet.

And that was kind of what Optimus figured was going to happen. That or Ironhide would shoot him.

Judging by the way the massive ebony mech had his cannons whirling lightly that was still a likely possibility though.

When the two tone mech's laughter finally died down enough for him to speak again he stared at his Prime who in returned just stared back waiting for it to click in the serious mech's processor.

That he wasn't joking.

It was also quite clear when that happened too. The amused smile fell right off Prowl's faceplate and he kind of just gaped at the massive mech at the end of the table. "You're being serious."

"Yes." Optimus nodded. "I am."

"And you all thought I was screwed up in the processor." Megatron leaned back in his chair tilting his helm at his brother who turned slightly to face him as well.

"You were." Optimus retorted.

Megatron's optics slid away. There was nothing he could say to that.

It was true.

He had been . . . still was in a lot of ways he guessed. Not even Optimus' matrix could erase the past. No matter how much both brothers wanted it too.

It hadn't been an easy road that got all of them to where they were now. The warlord and the war hero that had destroyed their own home and much of the universe in a never ending battle to wring each others neck. The pair that turned into the martyrs that died to end up saving that very universe on the other side of the galaxy, far, far from home.

Funny how things like that worked out.

Of course The Nebula and all that went down inside of it happened a good two hundred vorns ago and now that it was all said and done it was not something any around this table really liked to revisit.

It hadn't been a pretty place.

Well that was a lie.

It had been a breathtakingly beautiful place, but it had also been a soul sucking abyss of utter nothingness. So they—as a whole—chose not to dwell on it too much. Best to leave it where it was had been was the popular vote. Let it stay cosmic dust floating out amongst the universe after Optimus and Megatron blew it up.

After Megatron died for them.

After Optimus saved him and in doing so died as well . . . .

It had been no small matter that brought these two sides of civil war together again. It had also not been a walk in the park, but it was getting better as the vorns rolled by.

Better.

But it was far from over.

Because there was still a lot of energon on all their hands—not just Megatron's—and it was going to take a long time to change that. Going back to war with the ones that got left behind . . . more energon shed, more death, more hatred . . . that wasn't helping.

"You have to be fragging with our processors . . . right?" Sideswipe's voice rising up from the end of the table drew both Optimus' and Megatron's attention back from the places they had wondered too.

To the words Optimus shook his helm. "No, Sideswipe. I'm not joking."

"Then you've lost your damn mind." The Prime had seen the growl in Ironhide's voice coming, he knew his old friend that well. So when he cut his optics over to him he was not surprised but what he found burning in those dark blue optics. Confusion, anger, hatred, and pain. It was not surprising and he didn't take the words to spark.

"No, Hide. I have not."

"You want to _hire _the little glitch that has been taking our troops apart for _fun_! And you don't think that's a bit messed up!?" Shoving himself to his peds the huge mech snarled down the table at Optimus. His glare enough to blister paint from plating.

"No Hide I'm very aware of how messed up it is."

"Then what the frag are you saying it for!?"

"Ironhide, calm down." Elita said softly.

"Calm down!? _Calm down_! He wants to hire the whack job glitchy femme that would murder us all in our recharge if we gave her half the chance and you want me to calm down!?"

"Yes." The bright femme nodded.

A simple word and action to which the big mech's jaw just dropped open too. He had no way other then blasting them both to respond to that, and since he wasn't going to blast them no matter how much he really wanted too—Mia would dismantle him if he killed her sister, and Optimus, well they went _way _back—right now all he could do was let his weight slam back down into his seat and glare at the mated pair.

What else was he supposed to do?

"What's in your helm, Optimus?" Ratchet speaking up drew all optics to him as he rested his elbows on the table holding his chin in his palm while he gazed down at the red and blue flamed mech.

"What Elita said," He shrugged. "We need an insider and there is currently one strapped down in our brig."

"So you want to use her?" Prowl's left optic was twitching and if it hadn't of been for the clawed hand of his mate on his knee under the table he probably would have glitched already, but Jazz was there and oddly quiet as he sat there staring down the table at Optimus. There was no real way of telling what was going on behind that darkened visor of his, though both Prowl and Optimus knew that sooner or later he'd speak up. After he found out what he wanted to know.

"In a manner of speaking." Optimus nodded.

"What's this manner of speaking?" Megatron rumbled. "Because whatever it is I doubt she's going to be all that keen on going along with it."

"Oh I doubt she will be." Optimus tilted his helm. "It's going to be interesting to say the lease."

"If you doubt she will be why are we even discussing this?" Prowl snapped. "This is a horrible idea. She's fraggin' nuts and you know it."

"I also know that she _knew _Fallback." Optimus replied.

Jazz tilted his helm this time. "That's what this is about."

Optimus then met the brightening blue visor with another nod. "She knew the mech we can't for the life of us figure out. She killed him when we couldn't figure out how. She _wanted _him dead and was willing to nearly kill herself to pull it off. She _saved _you two," His optics darted between Jazz and Sideswipe. "When she could have just stood back and let him kill you and then fought him after maybe one of you injured him giving her an advantage, but she didn't. She killed him before he killed you, Sides. I want to know why, to all of the above."

"Maybe there is no why." Ratchet said. "Insanity doesn't need a why, and that femme . . . Optimus she's well since over the edge."

"I am aware she is unstable—"

"She's not just unstable." The medic pressed, cutting him off. "She's a danger to herself and everybot around her. That is not a joke, Optimus. I'm all for calling in the big hounds and dealing with this slag before anymore descent bots die. But . . . this . . . what is it that you really want to do here? Because hiring a psychopath is like—"

"Trusting me?" Megatron grunted, sitting up straight in his chair his dark red optics cutting around the table.

Ratchet turned toward him. "In the beginning, yes. Things have changed since then."

"All that's changed is our list of friends and enemies" Jazz spoke up, his visor flashing with the quick thoughts that were swimming through his processor. "I think Optimus might have quite an idea here."

"You do?" Prowl blinked.

"Yeah, I mean think about it. We're already grasping at straws here. We have no leads, no clues, no nothing. Absolutely nothing. All we know is the Underground serves a Master—who we have no idea who is—and that they all hate our guts. We know that this big mech down stairs wants us all to burn in pit because we came skipping back home. That and we also know him and his little band of murderers are out smarting us at every turn. Killing us and just really kinda making us all look like turbo-foxes chasing their tails. I for one am insulted. What we're doing ain't workin' that's for damn sure. So we're kinda in need of a plan B don't ya'll think?"

"We aren't making any headway this way that's for sure." Ironhide had to admit. "Just getting innocent bots killed this way."

"So maybe we should hear Big Bot out, huh?" Jazz tilted his helm toward the Prime. "What is it ya got in mind, mech? How is _hiring _the little femme supposed to work out for us?"

"She obviously knows something we don't." Optimus started. "And there isn't one of us in here that hasn't heard of Jynx. She's something of a known name around the desert."

"And my murdered employees file." Prowl bit. "Remember that Optimus? How many of our bots she's killed?"

"Yes, Prowl." Optimus sighed. "I'm the one that has to sign the condolence letters. I know what she is and I won't pretend to know what she is capable of. As Ratchet said, she's long since jumped ship, but bots this isn't really our first go around with cases most thought were lost causes."

The twins' optics found the table, Jazz shifted a little in his seat, and Megatron stared blankly at the far wall.

"We've made what most would call 'stupid' choices before and they worked out for the better." Optimus went on. "And I'm not saying this one will be the same. I'll admit it, that little femme makes my armor crawl. She's messed up. She needs help. She might not want any, but I know you can see it as well as I can Ratchet. Just how terrified she was in there."

"You mean after she tore into Sunny?" Sideswipe growled from the end of the table.

"Don't call me that." Sunstreaker grumbled.

"Yes, Sideswipe." Optimus nodded. "That is just what I mean."

"Sunstreaker was trying to help her and she ripped him down to protoform." The red twin sat up in his chair glaring down the table.

"I'll kill her for it next time I see her. Don't think I won't." The golden mech promised.

"No you won't." Optimus' wise blue optics pinned the pair where they were and the intensity behind that gaze made them both lower their optics once again. Optimus could and would hand them their afts if they so much as dared step out of line. That they were very much aware of.

It was why they trusted him and the others around this table.

Because when they crossed the line they got smacked back for it. It was something they'd never had until they ended up in Ratchet's medical bay a very long time ago.

"The next time you see her you will be in charge of her." Optimus stated, and the twins snapped back to attention along with every other bot beside Elita around the table.

"Whack job Prime say what?" Sides stared.

"You two will be responsible for her." Optimus explained. "I'm placing her under your protection and care. I'm talking every breem of orn and night for the rest of the forcible future if my plan works. You two will be with her, watching her, learning her, and whatever else I'll need you to do."

The pair of brothers blinked in harmony completely lost at the other end of the table.

They weren't the only ones though.

"What?" Ratchet leaned forward. "Why in the name of our fragged up creator do you want the twins to have anything to do with her!?"

"You lost me there too, Optimus." Jazz nodded.

"If this is a joke Optimus you know I don't really have much of a sense of humor." Prowl said.

"I'm lost." Ironhide agreed.

"Did you get your processor blown out and then get it swapped with one of a glitch when on bot was looking?" Megatron questioned.

Optimus chuckled. "That would have been a rather complicated task don't you think, Megs?"

"I think you're talking nonsense, Opt." The other shot back. "Even for you."

"Means a lot coming from you, brother."

"You know I'll tell you straight."

They smirked at each other.

"Uh," Sides waved his hand over his helm making both mechs look his way again. "The brotherly love is refreshing and all mechs, but I'm still a little confused down here."

"Yes," Optimus went back to explaining, or at least trying too. "This is my little idea in a nutshell basically. As Jazz said we're grasping at straws correct?"

"Yes." Prowl admitted.

"Well consider this my last ditch, very despite, straw. We don't even truly have any idea of who we are really fighting. All we are really accomplishing is killing ourselves, innocent rouge bystanders, and a few of the Ground—if we're lucky—in the deserts and in the streets. We are gaining nothing and losing more then I can allow. I did not stop the end of the universe and finally bring about an end to the Great War just to come limping back home and go to war with my own kind _again_. I do not want to fight the neutrals. I can stand the idea of all of us being seen as invaders. But above all that we _have _to find a way to start gaining ground against the Underground before we're all dead. I believe—I'm _hoping_—that with Jynx we might be able to do both."

"And why is that?" Megatron questioned.

"Because she is a part of it. All of it. She has to be. I just know it."

"True as that may be." Ironhide grumbled. "You think just because you ask her nicely she's going to roll over and play tame robo-cat for you? Come on now Optimus. This robo-cat would tear out your spark the first chance she got."

"Of that I am aware." Optimus replied.

"Then why the frag do you think this is a good idea!?"

"Because of what she knows."

"Because she knew Fallback's designation?" Prowl snapped. "Optimus that hardly proves anything! All those damn rouges know each other!"

"But you are the one that first came to me and said that Fallback was not just some rouge, Prowl." Optimus snapped right back. "You are the one that first figured out the connection. The crazy bots, the tunnels, the Master, the Ground. You are the one that connected all the red tape. You are the one that said they were all a part of something. Something we haven't figured out yet. That this wasn't just random psychos in the uncivilized lands picking old scabs with us. That they had a leader and a purpose and that purpose was to gut us. You are the one that figured out there was more than just crazy wrong with Fallback."

Prowl dipped his chevron topped helm slightly. Because the Prime had him there.

"And this isn't just because she knew his designation." Optimus went on a bit calmer now. "This is because of the way Jazz and Sideswipe told me she went after him with nothing other than the soul intent of taking him apart and that she didn't stop until she did no matter how much he tore her apart. This is because of the things you two told me she said. They _knew _each other. He taunted her. She claimed she had already killed him once. Doesn't that make any of you the slightest bit curious? We find some crazy mech that wants to kill us all wondering our borders, killing everything he comes across, with no spark and no way we can figure out how to kill him and then along comes this femme that knows him and he knows her and she claims to have already killed him once. That doesn't make any of you wonder?"

"Well of course it makes us wonder." Ratchet retorted. "But she . . . she can't be trusted, Optimus."

"I didn't say I would trust her." The Prime sighed. "I said I wanted to use her."

Megatron let out a low chuckle. "I like the way you think, little brother."

Optimus shot him a glare. "And if in the end we can save one lost spark out of the deal that makes it all the better."

"And then you go and get all soft on me again." With a roll of red optics the massive grey mech slumped down in his seat.

"Sorry to disappoint you." Optimus smirked.

"No you're not."

"No, you're right, I'm really not."

"I still don't get the point of all this." Ironhide barked out slamming a hand down on the table. "They knew each other. Big deal! They're both fraggin' crazy! I'm not all that much surprised."

"Yes they are both crazy, Ironhide." Elita spoke up. "But the difference is the femme has a spark. And then there was the fact that the very bot that, as you said has been killing our bots for fun, hated this mech so much that she was willing to—whether unintentionally or not—save our mechs just so that she could kill him. That doesn't strike you as something we could use?"

"_You _think this is a good idea, Lita!?" Ironhide bit.

"Yes," The Lady Prime nodded her bright helm, glittering sky blue optics a blaze of emotions. "I do. The femme could prove to be valuable to us."

"So," Prowl's left optic was twitching again. "You _both _want to hire slash use the crazy glitch that is currently locked up in the basement as a way to . . . what exactly?"

"Easy, Prowler." Jazz said softly a clawed hand reaching out to rest on his shoulder.

"Primus help me if you glitch again," Ratchet warned turning to look the adviser's way. "I will lock you up in your damn office for the rest of your function I swear it."

"I will not glitch." Prowl didn't really sound all that sure even to himself, but he continued his question nonetheless. "I'm just trying to understand if the crazy has spread to our ruling pair."

Elita smiled softly at the black and white mech. "We're still very much sane, Prowl. No worries. Besides, this isn't exactly the first time you've questioned our sanity. In fact, if I recall all three of those times that you did worked out very well in the end. In fact, their sitting around this table right now."

She had a point.

Damn.

Why did she always have a point?

"To answer your question," Optimus took pity on his logic suffering friend. "I want to know what she knows. About the neutrals, about the Underground, about their Master—because I'm willing to bet she knows something about them all. I want to know why she thinks she killed that crazy glitch only to find him walking around the desert. I want to know what use she could be to us. I want to know what makes her tick. I want to know if she could help us end this before anymore needless energon is spilled. I want to know how a femme that's smaller then Cliffjumper ends up with a reputation so stained her designation sends bots running in the streets. Everybot knows of Jynx and yet nobot knows anything about her. Well I want to know. And I'm willing to bet that if I offer up the right incentive I might just get everything that I want."

"As great is all that sounds," Sunstreaker growled. "How does all this come back to me and Sideswipe having to play _glitch sitters_!?"

"Because you two are the only bots I have that I have no doubt can handle her and come out of it still breathing." Optimus explained. "Don't get me wrong. There are many bots we have that could stand toe to toe with her . . . though there are not many I am one hundred percent sure would win. That is not something I'm willing risk testing either. The things that makes you two my choice is this. One, you're you; you are two sets of optics, two sets of audios, two sets of skills that can stand against me and even Megatron for a good amount of time."

"You'll still loose in the end though mechs," Megatron rumbled.

The twins grinned in return.

"You can handle her, and if need be you can and will put her down." The Prime went on.

"Count on it." Sunstreaker promised darkly.

"She'll do well to understand that." Sides chimed in.

"Yes," Optimus agreed. "She will. The second thing is you have each other. You can watch each others' backs in a way no other bot in this whole city can. She is twice as unlikely to be able to get the drop on you two. The third thing—and I hope you do not think ill of me for it as well—is this. There was a time, quite a long while ago, when I saw what flashed through her visor this morning flash through your optics as well."

Both sets of vivid blue optics lowered to the table again, because they knew that was oh so very true.

"When you two got hauled into our lives you weren't all that different from that femme down there. So if there are any in this city that might be able to get through to her, might be able to help her so we don't have to put her down and we don't have to use her, it is you two. I meant what I said. If we can come out of this whole thing and save her from herself while we do it . . . nothing would make me happier. I do not believe there is such thing as a spark that cannot be saved. But this won't be easy. She might not even go along with what I will offer her. This whole conversation might have been for not, but she might. And if she does we must all be ready for what will come next. I'm talking about letting a certifiable murderess '_lose_' inside this compound with nothing other than our skills and the twins' optics keeping her from offlineing most of the population of New Iacon. If this works it's gonna be the second most craziest thing I've ever done, and I'm going to need all of you behind me to make it work." He finished by sweeping his optics around the table of his most dear friends and family before he let it fall to silence giving them a klick to think it over.

After a few moments.

"You know I'm always behind you, Optimus." Ironhide let out a breath. "I'm not sure this is going to work, but you're right. Something has to change. We have to do something."

"Count me in." Ratchet nodded. "Won't be the first time I signed on to reprogram crazy."

"She may prove a useful resource." Prowl said. "The negative outcomes still outweigh the positive in the odds I've figured, but I trust you Optimus. You've yet to lead us wrong."

"I'll admit," Jazz smiled. "I _really_ wanna know what makes that femme tick. I'm in."

"Who am I to judge the offering of a second chance?" Megatron nodded slowly. "Besides, she tries anything she'll be dead before she scratches paint. I'll make sure of it."

"She steps wrong I'll skin her." Sunstreaker glared darkly at the Prime.

"I know," Optimus inclined his helm.

"She so much as blemishes my brother's or my paint and I'll tear her spark out." He went on in a growl.

"That is you're right, Sunstreaker."

And with that he huffed and looked away. He was agreeing. He wasn't happy. But he was agreeing. If for no other reason that he'd be the one close enough to kill her if she tried anything, and quite frankly he _really _wanted to kill her.

Sideswipe however, wasn't sure how to feel about it.

What the Prime said was true. There had been a time that they had been that femme, and Ratchet, Prowl, Jazz, Ironhide, Elita, Chromia, Arcee, and Optimus gave them a chance to change.

Well actually a whole lot of chances. They hadn't really been that quick of learners.

Who was he to say the femme didn't deserve the chance to try? It wasn't like she was any worse then they, or Jazz, and certainly not Megatron had been and they all changed.

Maybe she just needed the chance.

"Sideswipe?" The Prime inquired in name.

Glancing up at the sound the crimson mech nodded curtly. "Consider us the crazy sitters."

* * *

To put it in the simplest terms Jynx's helm felt like it was splitting in two when she woke up again. Sitting up slowly she ran a thin sliver hand down her faceplate rebooting her visor a couple of time before she actually accepted what it was she was seeing.

She was in a cell.

But at least this time she wasn't strapped and magnetized down.

Pushing herself up fully the little white femme stared around the eight by eight energon bared cell on a squishy berth in the back of the square. It wasn't the worst cell she'd ever woken up in that much was for sure, and it was a whole pit of a lot better than that damn medical bay.

She's take bared cell over medical bay any orn of the decacycle.

Taking a deep breath she let the stale air cycle a few times through her vents trying to get a scent of something other than musty iron and burning plasma.

"Helpful," She sighed in the most sarcastic voice known to Cybertronians.

With that she pushed herself off the plain grey slightly squishy berth and dropped down to the stone floor with a soft clank. Taking in her surroundings she noted not a damn thing that she could use as any type of weapon. There weren't even sheets on the berth. Just a stone cell—by the smell deep underground—with an empty berth and burning plasma bars that was keeping her in this prison.

Stepping the few pedsteps that separated her from the nine glowing bars she tilted her helm at them letting her sensors flick up just a bit from where they were pinned down beneath the blue appendages atop her helm. Letting them stand half upright she could feel the webbed wires unfurl just before the increase strength they brought her senses spliced in with her sensor-net tripling every input she had. She could hear steps what sounded like three layers of solid stone above her helm. Well steps and about a billion different things actually. Distorted voices, laughter, random bangs and clangs, machines working, and things she couldn't make out no matter how hiked her sensors were.

She was underneath the spark of New Iacon.

Not someplace she every really figured she'd end up, at least this way. Yet here she was.

Letting her gaze rest on the glowing blue bars she slowly lifted a claw letting it draw closer to the heat until she almost touched one and a sting ran up her arm. Jerking back with a hiss she shook her helm.

She wasn't getting out that way, that was for sure.

At least not as of yet.

She wasn't yet too desperate. She could keep herself busy for a while before she went stir crazy.

Cages were not her favorite things in the universe by any means, but this really wasn't her first go around with high tech prisons. She'd find the loophole. She would just need to observe, and listen.

And so that is just what she did.

Turning slowly she walked back to the berth, hopped up, hunkered down, and listened. To the whirlwind that assaulted her sensors and receptors. The walls around were too thick for her to make out much other then mumbles though. No coherent words came through.

No clues as to tell her if there were guards, where it was she was really at in this glittering glitch fest of a city, or why she was even still breathing.

Glancing down Jynx took in the healing welds her self repair systems were finishing patching up. That medic had put her back together again for reasons she couldn't possibly fathom. Why in the pit would the Prime and his pet medic even bother with her?

They should have thrown her in front of a firing squad or hung her from the town square. After all of the Enforcers and Guard she had killed they patch her up and stick her in a box?

Now she was far from the sanest creature in the known universe, but even she wasn't glitched enough to think any of this made a bit of sense. Because it didn't.

Which left her with two possibilities to go off of.

First, they were even more glitched then she thought they were.

Or second, they wanted her alive for something.

Torture?

Maybe.

Unlikely though, that really wasn't up the Prime's alley, some of his followers maybe but he was too Primus blessed with righteousness to get his hands dirty like that.

An idiotic scheme of making her tell them that secretly she wanted to be a goody two shoes like them and suddenly go skipping down the straight and narrow?

Yeah . . . like that was going to happen.

They let her out of this cell she'd feed them all their sparks. They would do well to remember that little fact.

Leaning back on her palms the bright white femme let her visor darken to completely black as she brooded to the wall. She was not a patient bot.

Quite the opposite really and sitting still was not her thing.

Sitting still offered nothing but the processor a chance to wonder and that never ended well for Jynx.

Her claws twitched while she forced herself to lay back on the berth, curl to face the empty grey wall, and start counting the seams in the metal while her sensors flared trying to pick up something, _anything_, to keep her processor from going places that would do nothing other than hurt.

It had been quite some time since she'd been locked in a cage.

At least a cage that had the capacity to keep her in.

That was an impressive feat.

No security cameras, no windows, no doors that she could see other then the bared one to her back.

This really was a caged box at the bottom of the hole most of the world had probably moved on and forgotten about.

She could smell how ancient the stone and metal were. Yet this wasn't a part of the tunnels. That much she was sure of.

The Prime hadn't found those little secret passageways under his pretty city just yet.

How very unfortunate for him.

That was gonna come back to bite him one orn.

His lack of mistrust.

He was so sure that the Labyrinth and everything that that deep dark deadly place held could not reach inside his sparkly golden gates. He was so sure that he could keep his kind safe from the murders and thieves he was killing and stealing from while these returned 'heroes' drank up a life built of lies.

He didn't know that it was already inside. Had been since the walls went up and long before that.

Jynx grinned wickedly to herself rolling onto her back to count the cracks in the stone that made the ceiling. She enjoyed thinking about how the perfect little lives of all those that thought themselves better than her where not so perfect after all. She enjoyed the prospect of their hopes and dreams crashing down around them.

Teach them to have such foolish things in the first place.

They should know better.

Her left sensor twitched, the light blue piece that kept it housed flicking ever so slightly making the webbed network behind it flare with a bit of static and then focus in on the sound that had drawn her attention in the first place.

"What's this?" She asked out loud, rolling to face the glowing bars as she focused in on three sets of pedsteps descending a stairwell over her helm and coming her way. "Company?"

How very, very interesting.

The pedsteps were too light to be the Prime. She knew from her short meeting with him in the medical bay what he sounded like when he walked. The sound his peds made when they touched the ground, the whirl of his hydraulics, the grinding of gears and mechanisms, the faulty piston in his right hip that ground too hard against the soft protoform beside it. She had memorized the way it achingly rubbed without consciously being noticed. Because it was a weakness in the mighty mech and she had long ago been trained to exploit weaknesses.

That piston would mean that even without knowing he was hurting, the massive mech would favor his right side. It meant that if she hit that hip, aimed for that piston and the bruised protoform beside it, she'd do twice the damage in half the time. It was a life altering bit of information and all of it was gained simply by listening to the way that the big bot walked. All of that gained without her consciously realizing she had done it.

She just did it.

Gathered and filed away the information in her processor without truly doing it herself only to have it spring back up on her later when it was needed.

Old habits die hard.

Especially when they were useful.

Tilting her helm so that the sensors could flare to their full height she listened closely.

Two sets of peds carrying equal weight and one that was much lighter. They rang familiar to her processor, but she couldn't quite place them. It was foggy, like she had been distracted when the information was taken in so it was taking longer for her to sort it out now that she had it.

Knowing it was going to take her longer to figure out where she'd heard it before then it was taking the bots to walk another flight of stairs and reach the level of underground hole she was currently abiding in she just waited for her answer to revile itself.

They were almost to her.

So she sat up, scooted backward, and leaned against the cold grey wall. Visor darkened to where no light from her optics would shine through, faceplate impassive other than the tiny smirk playing at the edge of the right side of her lips, and her audio sensors quickly tucked back away. There was a flash of static that ran through her sensor-net as the heightened senses faded back into her normal audio receptors abilities along with her sense of smell and sight.

And she didn't have to wait long before a door she couldn't see swung open and in walked the fun.

Now she knew where she knew whose pedsteps.

If it wasn't that silver armored, visor wearing mech from the desert and the pair of similar mechs from the medical bay. She had to fight down the bark of cold laughter that wanted out as the silver mech came to stop before the glowing bars and the other two hung back slightly, but it wasn't the silver one she wanted to cackle at.

No.

It was the golden one.

The mech who's optics where narrowed into slits at her, his fist clenched at his side, a healing weld on his hip making him stand just the slightest bit awkwardly.

Sunstreaker, she did recall he was called.

And the shorter silver one, the one that was helm level with the other two's bulky shoulders, with the bright blue curved glass that resembled her own only it was clearer and cleaner and less harshly angled, he was Jazz.

The Prime's little shadow stalker.

His spy that outclassed everything and everybot around him in his talent for what he did.

His friend.

His saboteur.

His ex-Decepticon.

The very first one.

Even she knew that.

Everybot did. Neutral, Con, Bot, or in her case psycho with no side whatsoever that did whatever she wanted when she wanted.

Because Jazz jumped sides not long after he'd made a name for himself on the dark side.

There was some part of Jynx that maybe—just a tiny bit—might have respected the mech for what he was capable of. All the wonderfully horrible things he had done in the warlord's torture chambers. They were downright inspiring.

And yet here he stood. All righteous and practically oozing '_moral-ness'_.

What the pit happened there?

The red one was interesting, and her gaze cut to him for a moment as she sat there on the berth. He was tense and guarded, though not angry really, she was pretty sure his designation was Sideswipe. She filed that away just as she did the way he was standing slightly in front of the golden mech she thought was his brother. He had placed himself just a half a step—hardly even noticeable if one didn't know to look for it—in front of the other. Like he was protecting him and at the same time holding him back. It was odd.

However, Jynx didn't really observe him for too long.

Her attention drifted back to Jazz as he stood on the other side of her cage his whole frame loose and fluid. He was neither tense nor upset. He was just kind of lazily standing there with one ped propped up against his other ankle while he crossed his arms, tilted his helm, and observed her for a few long klicks and then.

"Morning, Jynx." He smirked.

She just stared at him.

His smile didn't waver though. "What? Nothing to say?"

Tilting her helm she smiled that smile of hers that push sanity well and beyond her grasp. "Well I'm currently plotting the particulars of your death. So if you want to know how I plan to dismantle you and string your remains throughout your lovely little home here I'd be giddy to share."

He laughed, surprising her actually, as he shook his helm slightly. "We can talk the down and dirty later. For now sweetspark we have a little chat to get under way. So I'm gonna ask ya. Will ya behave for the Jazz mech or will we have to do this the hard way?"

"Only way I know is the hard way, mech." She replied.

"Hard way it is then." And he pulled a pair of stasis cuffs from subspace.

Yep, it was looking like it was going to be a _great_ orn.

* * *

After a bit of struggle—she scratched the golden glitch's paint just because she could and it amused her the way he snarled and leapt only to be yanked back—Jynx found herself in stasis cuffs with her arms clasped behind her back as she was marched up cold grey stone stairs between a mass of red and snarling gold as she let herself be drug behind the silver mech twirling keys around his claws.

She really felt like shoving those keys up his exhaust pipe, but for now she went along with this little venture.

Getting out of the cuffs wouldn't be hard. Pit, she could kill them all with her hands tied behind her back. It wouldn't be the first time she'd done it.

The only reason she hadn't done it was because she was curious as to why they hadn't killed her yet.

The golden on sure wanted too. So why weren't they? What did they want from her?

"Where are you taking me?" She hissed out as the silver mech pushed open a door and held it back so that dumb and dumber could haul her through by her elbows into the dim lights of a hall painted too bright of a blue. She wanted to stain it with something, anything, just to make the perfectness of it go away.

"To Prime." The red mech said lowly as they held her by the elbows letting Jazz walk before them again before they took up their march after him dragging Jynx along.

"Pick up your fraggin' peds, femme!" The golden one snarled at her yanking her by her arm in his grasp trying to get her to actually use her peds, but Jynx was having none of it. She snarled right back at him throwing her weight sideways to bang into his precious shiny paint. The resulting bang of crashing plating and armor gained her a snarl and a swift kick in the back of the knees that would have sent her crashing to the ground had the red one not quickly snatched up her weight to keep her up right while he growled over to the other.

"Sunny!"

"She fraggin—"

"Enough Sunstreaker," Jazz spoke up from in front of them. "Sideswipe get her back on her peds."

Pulling her up not really all that gently Sideswipe brought her around to where he could keep a tight grip on her not allowing the little white femme that hardly came up to the bottom of his chest get any type of leverage against his hold.

"And you," The silver mech's warning tone drew Jynx's optics back to him and not the red and gold glitches she was currently glaring at. "Behave. Or I'll have to make you."

"Is that supposed to scare me, mech?" She threw back her helm with a dark laugh before locking him in her black visor gaze. "You think I'm afraid of you lot? Please. I could gut you all before you even knew what happened. I'm still going too. You have my promise of that. I'll do it, you be sure. Slowly and painfully. I can't wait to hear every little glitch in this place scream."

"That's enough," He snarled right back to her closing the distance between them until he was standing hardly a breath away from her leaning down so that he was visor to visor with her his blue optics dark behind his tinting visor as he reached out a silver clawed hand and wrapped those claws around her jaw. She snarled through barred teeth at him trying to twist her helm out of his grip but he yanked her back with another rumbling snarl as Sideswipe tightened his hold on her arms to keep her from struggling.

So she spit at him.

With an even louder growl Jazz reeled back shaking his helm, but keeping her in a firm grip so that she could feel how his digits tightened in anger as he lifted his free hand and whipped at the liquid splattering his visor then turned back to her in a furious snarl.

Leaning close again the look his optics dared her to do it again as did the tightening grip on her arms from the red glitch called Sideswipe and the rumbling growls that rose up in a all directions from her three mech pin. She just smirked letting her optics flash so bright they shown through her visor—shown defiantly—as she let the silver mech twist her helm by her jaw until she was halfway tilted down as he glared into the glass that covered her optics.

"Cute," Jazz offered her a sarcastic smile that made his handsome silver faceplate turn a bit cruel. "But get this now, sweetspark. You can threaten me all you like. Come up with the most horrible death imaginable and we'll see if ya can take me on, but if you _dare _threaten my family again I promise you that ya won't like what I do in return."

"Oh contraire," She hissed back at him with an almost sweet smile that somehow made his armor crawl. "I think I just might."

To that he snorted letting go of her chin as he shoved her to the side stepping back to let Sunstreaker get a good grip on her again—a grip that was denting her arm plating—as Jazz turned back to the hall before them.

"What?" She giggled as the pair forced her to march on with them again through twisting halls that were surprisingly empty as they climbed a few more sets of stairs and she started to hear sounds of life again. She had been further down then she thought. She tried not to let that notion make her spark speed up. She might be held between them, but she could get out anytime she wanted. Of that she was sure.

Absolutely sure.

"No witty come back?" She finished with a tilt of her helm.

"Nope," Jazz answered as they strolled along through the pale blue halls. This place really needed a color update. She was okay with blue, but this way way too much blue.

"Awe damn," She sighed. "Guess I'll just have to entertain myself then."

And with that she twisted her helm to regard the brooding mass of pretty mech to her left.

"So, what's the issues with the paint mech? Don't ya know it's only nanite deep?"

He growl through his scowl at her but didn't bother cutting his optics to her.

"Awe? Too good to talk to the rouge?" Shaking her helm she turn to the red one. "What's wrong with your friend here Red? Doesn't he know its impolite to ignore bots?"

Sideswipe's vivid blue optics met her visor. "He's my twin."

And with those words Jynx's whole world came to a screeching halt.

Like _screeching_ halt so literal her whole frame—processor and all—lock up on the very word. Her peds fell out from under her, her visor went almost clear in panic, and her spark skidded to a stop.

All she could think was that word screaming on repeat in her helm.

_Twin!?_

She glitched.

And everything went black.

* * *

_A smile flashed before her optics. That half smirk she knew so well. _

_Dark red optics that glittered behind a visor as black as her own. _

_Jagged grey armor over a bulky frame that had always towered over her own and yet she had never found threatening. Not like the others._

_A gruff laugh that filled her spark with bubbles making her light and making this pit seem less dark. Because how could this living pit be so bad when he was laughing in it? _

_ It wasn't really. _

_It couldn't be. _

_Because he was here. _

_After all this time he was still here. _

_Hunkered down beside her holding her shivering form close to his own. His energon leaking down from his own battered protoform running down his massive frame until it mixed with her own in hot trails of their life force seeping out of them. Though it would never be enough. They wouldn't die. _

He _wouldn't let them. _

_No matter how bad they both wanted to die._

_When the sun rose again she would be back on that table. Screaming and trashing and wishing for it all just to be over, but he would be there too. _

_She had to remind herself of that as she shivered against him refusing to let the tears run down. _

_On the next table over. Almost with in reaching distance. He would be there. If she struggled hard enough against the magnetized medical berth she might be able to grasp his clawed hand and hold on. To feel him there beside her. _

_To remind herself that she wasn't alone._

_That he was there._

_He promised he would always be there, and she trusted him. She trusted him with everything that she was. Because her spark could feel that his was pit bent to never leave her. He would be there. Always and forever. That was their promise of long ago._

_They would protect each other. _

_And the monster could never truly take that from them. No matter how much he twisted, broke, and played with their frames and their sparks he would never be able to break the bond that lived between them._

_He could taint it all he wanted. Try to bend it and shape it the way he wanted, but in the end she knew that as long as they had each other they would never truly be broken._

_They picked each other up when they fell down. Always had always will._

_And with that in the back of her processor, his tired half smile shining down at her and the red glow through that black glass ever present in her spark, she slipped into unconsciousness._

* * *

With a gasp she sprang awake a cold sweat gathered on her white plating, her spark running a billion miles a breem, her processor spinning in a memory she hadn't allowed to surface in over forty vorns, and the burn of tears prickling at the corner of her optics.

_NO! _

Shaking her whole frame as if she shake away the memories she bit down hard on her bottom lip until she tasted energon. Just to keep the tears away and chase the thoughts from her processor.

The pain of now was far easier to focus on.

Taking a shaky breath she shook her helm again.

She was _not _going back there! She had not gone there in forty vorns!

No!

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!

Primus damn it! She was too fraggin' sober for this slag!

Thinking too clearly.

Remembering too much.

"Easy femme," And then her sense of 'now' kicked back in and she flailed backwards only to end up going nowhere. She was strapped down in a magnetized chair this time with that damn yellow and red medic crouched before her. "You're alright."

"Get the frag away from me!" She spit out through bared teeth, her fangs flashing dangerously, and her visor darkened to pitch black as she shoved herself backward as far as she could go into the chair she was chained too trying to calm her rapidly cycling air frame.

Ratchet lifted an optic ridge at her for the outburst before he nodded his helm slightly. She was awake again, and her spark wasn't acting as weird as it had been before. So he gave her what she wanted backing off a few feet to leave her chained there in that chair with nowhere to go letting her find for herself the form of Optimus sitting on the edge of the table just behind Ratchet with Jazz and Prowl at his side. Everybot else had been left out of this little meeting, the Prime's doing, after Jazz came in carrying a glitched femme.

She glitched.

She actually _glitched_.

The mechs in the room still couldn't really believed that happened. Mainly because they didn't know why she did.

Jazz just said she'd been smarting off and running her mouth spewing treats and then Sideswipe had said Sunstreaker was his twin and she would have met stone tiles with her faceplate had the twins not caught her from her fall.

What had happened that made the infamous Jynx fall out and leave herself that level of valuable? They could only imagine what she'd do if she found out she had been _carried _here. It would be kind if she only started decapitating. From what they had gathered she did _not _like to be touched. She'd do everything in her power to avoid it.

Jazz was actually really surprised he and the twins had been able to haul her as far as they did and her not do worse than talk slag.

It wasn't that the saboteur was scared of her, far from it, he was just very much aware of what something like her was capable of. Because he'd been her once. He knew what kind of thoughts ran through a processor that fragged up. He knew that every threat that left her mouth was far from empty. She'd do _everything _she said she would and more if she was given the chance, and all that was going to be there to stop her was the ranked mechs in and around this room and the pair of warriors that had once been as long gone as Jazz had been, as much as she was now.

He was curious of her just as Optimus was, and what she might know, but he was wary of her as well.

She would kill without second thought—she'd enjoy it—and she was most defiantly going to keep them on their toes.

"Welcome back to the land of the processing." Optimus' regal voice caused Jynx's optics to dart to his towering frame her own going tense and strung tight again as her glare blistered into his paint even through the tint of her visor. He could not see the light of the optics that glowed on the other side, but once again he was very aware of the heated look that was being drilled into him. He refused to let his armor shiver at it. That would only add to her certainty that she could slice all their throats.

And it would.

Though Jynx really didn't need to have conformation of that fact. She was going to do it.

As soon as she got out of this chair.

For now though she just hissed at his words her claws working and flexing against the cold grey metal chair arms that held her. She pictured the Prime's armor beneath her claws and not this damn chair.

It calmed her cycling vents just a tad. Picturing his energon rolling out over her claws.

"Ya gave us quite a scare in the hall, sweetspark." Jazz spoke up.

She let out a low hiss his direction. She was _not _about to justify her glitch. No way no how.

She was way too damn sober for this slag, and if she didn't get out of here and get those memories out of her processor soon she was going to go even crazier then she already was. Did these mechs not understand they were playing with fire?

"Mind telling us what's up?"

"Go frag yourself."

Jazz offered a sigh. "That wasn't helpful. What if I ask ya nicely? Please?"

"If that's your new version of torture, mech." She snorted. "Ya doin' it wrong."

"You ain't seen torture yet, sweetspark." Jazz's visor took on a warning gleam. He did not take kindly to being insulted. Even if that was his darker half that was taking the hit.

Jynx let out a huff. "You don't know what I've seen."

But it certainly wasn't like she was about to tell them.

Though that didn't stop her from enjoying the curious gleam that flashed through his optics.

"I'm not scared of you, wannabe. I'm not scared of any of you." She titled her chin up to let her defiantly black visor rest on the Prime.

"Somehow, I'm quite sure you don't" He nodded almost sadly at her as he crossed his arms and situated himself on the table's edge.

"So then, what do you want with me?" She growled out the question.

"You've murdered scores of our bots." Prowl finally spoke up from where he stood stiffly to Optimus' right, his arms crossed, his wings flared, and his left ped tapping lightly against the grey floor. "You're certifiably insane, you constantly threaten the wellbeing of everybot around you, you're just downright rude, you have absolutely no respect, you kill just because you seem to enjoy it, there is no telling the countless horrific things you have done that are not in my files, and honestly you just kind of irritate me."

Well, no bot could ever say Prowl wasn't honest. Or blunt.

Nope.

He never lacked bluntness.

For a moment all Jynx could do was blink in response to that, her visor lightening with the shocked bluntness of it—something the mechs around her didn't miss, nor did they miss the strange color that seemed to glow behind that black glass—before she regained herself again, a pit spawned smirk lighting up her faceplate as she turned back to the Prime.

"Awe, I think he likes me."

Prowl grunted.

Jazz hid his smirk.

Ratchet lifted an optic ridge.

Optimus just regarded her quietly until he snorted. "In a manner of speaking, I suppose."

She just smiled even brighter. "I thank ya for the complements, mech, but that still don't tell me what it is you mechs want. If you're so overly fond of me why not just throw me to your hounds? I'm sure there are enough trigger happy bots among you that would love to chain me up and let me great the dawn at the end of a blaster barrel. You're problems would be solved."

"Not all of them." Optimus shook his helm and to that Jynx's interest was hiked.

"Oh?"

"Most of them would still be there actually. All of them for which my bots are dying on an ornly basis. Far more then you've ever killed."

She laughed. "I doubt it."

The Prime's optics narrowed slightly, but he went on. "You see, Jynx. I'm battled an enemy I do not know. It's hard to beat something you don't understand."

"You beat your brother didn't ya?" She mocked.

To that he smirked slightly, a cold fake smirk. "No . . . actually I didn't."

And to that the little white femme leaned forward as far as the magnetic hold of the chair would let her, her black visor shinning up with interest to the massive mech. "You know I've wondered . . . how all that went down?"

Optimus stared.

"Because you two _hated _each other." She went on, a note of vindictive teasing taking hold of her light voice drawing it out into something that made wires stand on end. "Destroyed _everything _trying to kill each other—now don't get me wrong I thoroughly enjoyed all the energon shed you two caused. Made what I call fun a lot more easier to have without goody Enforcers barreling in waving blasters they don't know how to use. It was a good time. Bots did whatever they please, because Primus forbid, you two look up and realize that something other than your little sibling squabble was going on around here. And then, when there was nothing left here but a broken dying world with no hope, both of you took your spiteful armies and left us all die. Left us to a mercy that didn't exist." She spit the last part. "And it looked like the laws and the war, they were never coming back. So we moved on, you see. We survived. And then, Primus behold, the Prime and Tyrant come skipping back to Cybertron hand and hand like giddy little turbo-pups. All is right and wonderful in the universe again. Only it isn't. And it never will be. You all think I'm the insane one—well that's good, because I am, and that takes a lot to rationalize believe me—but the truth is. You bots are the glitched ones. You're the ones that think this little rebuilding and making right thing is going to work. You still think Cybertron belongs to _you_."

Throwing her helm back she let it smack against the hard metal behind her as she let lose a dark, empty, vengeful laugh as she allowed her helm to lull back against the chair's crest tilting it over to the side as she smiled lazily up at the massive mech still perched on the table in front of her.

"_You're _the crazy one, Prime. You still think you're fighting this battle. Mech, you've already lost. You might as well just lay down your arms and accept it. You lost it the klick you rocketed off."

And once she was done the little white femme slumped down against the magnetic hold content to just watch her words sink into the mechs before her.

And sink in it did, for a long handful of klicks while each mech in the room's gaze drifted down slightly at the harsh and very true words.

She was right after all.

All of that was true, and it showed this crazy little glitch knew just as much as Optimus thought she might have. He was now one hundred percent sure of what he wanted, he just had to figure out how to get this little mini frame of what might be thirteen feet to agree to his scheme and not murder half his city in their recharge.

"Things changed." Optimus finally let out with a sigh as he let his gaze return to that black visor band. "That is what happened, Jynx. Things changed. For the better."

"What, you think because _things changed_ everything is magically supposed to work out for you?" She snorted. "We're all supposed to get along? Well that's really sweet of ya, Prime, but the fact is you might have the Tyrant and a good portion of his followers in your subspace pocket now won't do you any good. Like I've said. You've already lost this battle."

"We don't believe in no win situations." Ratchet's gruff voice rumbled.

"Then you're stupid."

"And you're insane." Prowl snapped back at her.

"Well now that we're done stating the obvious." She retorted.

The doorwinged mech scowled at her, his tense frame working itself even tighter, and she didn't miss the glance that Jazz slipped his way, nor the meaning behind it. She could also see the care in the glances that the medic and the Prime shot him.

And once again she was _way_ too much surrounded by touchy feely.

She had to get her aft out of here!

"What is it you want, Prime?" She snapped her optics back to him, sitting upright and growing tense again. "If you're going to kill me, get on with it. If you're going to torture me, please do go ahead, but make sure the mech knows what he's doing. And—if however unlikely—you're gonna be your normal righteous self and do the 'noble' thing and let me go, get on with it. I've had all the hugs and fun times I can handle. Much more I might purge. I doubt ya want to clean that up."

Taking his gaze from his advisor slash friend the powerful two tone mech looked back to the little femme and regarded her once more before he finally decided it would make this all easier in the long run if he just slaggin' came out with it.

"Jynx," He started, pushing himself from where he was sitting, moving to stand to his full regal height before the little femme, he went on. "I want to hire you."

And to that . . . she blinked.

Her teasing smirk fell away and she just blinked kind of stupidly at him—though he couldn't see it through her visor—all he could tell was that her faceplate went slack and she was just sitting there staring at him until she huffed out a sort of surprised cough of some sort shaking her helm back and forth slowly at him.

"You want to what?"

"Offer you a job." He reworded it. "You know business transaction."

"I know what hiring means, you aft." She hissed, a scowl taking hold of her slack faceplate. "And you know, I really did think you lot were crazy, but if you actually think _that _is a good idea you're even more glitched up in the helm then I am."

The red and blue flamed mech shrugged. "I've been called worse, but I'm being serious here, Jynx."

"Hire me? Hire me. Hire _me_!? And you're serious? _What_?!"

"I think that perhaps together we might—"

"Why in the name of all that is powerful in this universe would I _ever_ work for you?!" She screeched.

Jazz let his helm fall down. "Well this is going about like I expected."

"Agreed." Prowl sighed.

Ratchet was still just quietly watching.

Optimus was looking rather disheartened. "Jynx—"

She bucked once or twice against the magnetic hold on her wanting to bury her claws in his fraggin' neck just so that she could rip out his vocal processor for uttering such nonsense.

"Why would I do _anything _for you!? I mean you have to be fraggin' nuts! Least have some screws loose upstairs! Do you seriously think I will take orders from _anybot_, let alone you!?"

"Just hear me out—"

"I obey no mech! I make my own choices! You slaggin' glitch! I work for nobot! I'll never fraggin' do it again!"

The words snapped Prowl's, Jazz's, and Ratchet's attention. Optimus caught them too but he was too caught up in trying to get a word in edge wise. If for no other reason than to calm her down. She was working herself into a state, he could already see the way Ratchet had edged a bit closer to her as his fingers twitched. She got much more worked up she was going to start ripping plating again and the look on the medic's faceplate told how much he did not want to have to sedate her again. It, as they found out, took a good amount of drugs to keep her out of it. More then was healthy. More then Ratchet wanted to pump into her again so soon.

"You are so fragging screwed up if you think for one klick I will do anything for the likes of you, it's so mess up I can't even . . . ." And then she trialed off.

The tirade just stopped and she relaxed into her chair of a prison the angry snarl on her faceplate falling away and leaving a slightly curious pucker.

The mechs were thrown for a loop.

Jynx, on the other hand, was considering.

Quite heavily at the moment to tell the truth. Because something just accrued to her. Something that the shock at first hadn't let her consider.

Now.

Now, she was considering.

And she was curious.

Tilting her helm to the side she let her optics drift back to Optimus.

"Just out of curiosity," She mumbled. "Why do you want to hire me exactly?"

And that right there was Optimus' window. It was leap now or forever loose his chance.

"Because I firmly believe you might by my last and only shot at winning this." He admitted trying to convey the honesty behind those words. He knew Prowl wasn't going to like them, he knew Megatron and Ironhide would take it as an insult to their abilities of kicking aft, he knew Elita would beat him over the helm later for stealing her line, he knew how much of an utter chance he was taking in doing all this, and above all he knew how much he might utterly hate himself later for taking this chance.

But there was the knowledge and will of a god living in a two sided dagger resting next to his spark that at the moment was telling him to do nothing else then get this femme on his side for reasons he couldn't explain. Then again there was a lot about the Matrix that he couldn't explain.

Jynx's right optic ridge shot up so high up that it slid out from behind the safety of her visor letting the mechs see it for the first time.

"How so? And . . . why?" She pressed.

This was confusing her. She'd always known that the Prime was a glitch—noble and stupid on top of that—but not even she though he was this glitched.

This about rivaled her glitched.

In fact, it might surpass it.

She didn't know if she should be impressed or insulted.

"Well one because of everything you said just now," Optimus said. "But mostly because you know about things that we don't and can't seem to find out. Things I desperately need to know."

That was vague at best.

_Hum . . . ._

Alright, she'd bite. "Like what?"

"Like Fallback." Optimus replied, watching her, not the least bit surprised when the curious pucker turned into a small scowl.

"He's dead. This time for sure. What more is there to talk about?"

"Everything." Jazz spoke up.

She glanced his way.

"You knew him." Optimus stated gaining her attention again.

She let out a quiet hiss. "I hated him."

"Hate requires knowledge." Prowl put in.

"Nah," She shook her helm. "Not really. I hate you lot. I don't know you."

Well . . . she had a point there.

"Touché." The black and white inclined his helm.

She smirked.

"But there is so much more to it than that, femme." Prowl went on.

"And why do you say that?" She tested. She wanted to know just what these mechs knew. Because they had obviously known about Fallback for a while, whereas she had long since thought he was gone. They knew some things that apparently she didn't, just as she knew lots of things they didn't.

And this little prospect was starting to interest her.

"You tell me," He baited the hook once again.

She liked this game.

"He was a living, breathing, fragged up lab-rat, killing machine." That much she knew from way back when, and since he had no spark when she shoved her claws into his chest it was obvious that he had become one again, or maybe never stopped. Which lead to an interesting question that made her suppress a shiver.

If he was alive . . . who else _hadn't _died in that explosion?

More being alive was certainly going to complicate her life.

"Lab rat huh?" Ratchet wondered.

"Yep." She nodded.

"Interesting." He shot a look Optimus' way, but the Prime was watching the femme.

"You see," Optimus inclined his helm. "I told you, you knew things I needed to know."

"Well of course," Jynx smirked. "You're a stupid self righteous glitch with brother issues. The only real thing of question on the board here, Prime, is what do you know that I need to know?"

"What time of orn you won't die at the end of old Hide's cannons?" Jazz offered.

"Jazz," Optimus warned. "No threats while we're all getting along please."

"Just saying," The silver mech shrugged with a smirk of his own. "That's a good bit of information to know."

Jynx just sat there staring at the Prime waiting for him to say something that might interest her.

"I know where we found the mech you thought was dead." Optimus offered, and he didn't miss the slight twitch at the corner of her lips. That was something she was most defiantly interested in.

"How very interesting." She conceded much in the same tone the medic had.

Now it was Optimus' turn to smirk.

"So perhaps, just maybe, we could be of use to each other." He said.

"Perhaps," She agreed. "But what is it really you're offering here, Prime? I'm a psychotic glitch that hates you and everything you stand for. Why should I waste my time working with you when I could just kill you, hack into your processor, steal what is that you know that I don't, and be done with the whole situation all together?"

"For the same reason that I won't allow Jazz to do the same." He retorted in a voice so suddenly serious and cold that it shocked the daring smile right off of Jynx's faceplate. "Make no mistake, Jynx. I'm just as capable as you are of taking what is that I want when the lives of my bots are at stake. And the vorns on my side of the fence have not hindered Jazz's ability to take what he wants as well."

The silver mech's visor gleamed with another warning that the little femme felt down to her very core. Neither of them were bluffing now.

"The difference is," Optimus continued. "That is my last resort. It always has been. I don't agree with digging around in sparks and processors when you are not invited, but I am not above it. If it gets me what I need to protect innocent lives from slaughter then that is what I will do. But you of all bots should know Jynx that when go in looking to take; you'll never be able to take it all. There are some things that will get overlooked and go unnoticed. Little details that might be the difference between life and death in this case. So I was hoping for a way around that option. You see if you agreed to abide by my set of rules, do as I say when it comes to the wellbeing of those around you, and not . . . well murder us all in our recharge we might be able to help each other far more than we ever could by hurting each other."

Damn it.

He was right.

And he had a point.

Slag!

Why was this so fraggin' tempting?

This was a horrible idea! She should know that. This was . . . almost like _trusting_!

This wasn't going to work. She should refuse. Tell him to go frag himself and take her chances with just how well Jazz understood torture.

But underneath all her thrown up barriers about the principles this agreement would be based on there was the underlying notion that she knew very well was what was tempting her.

This was a way to make sure they were all dead, but above it all . . . this could be her ticket out.

This could be the path to true freedom.

She could get out from beneath the Underground's thumb. She could pay her debt. She could bury it all and never have to think his designation again. No longer have to know that every few decacycles he was going to come looking for her—and he'd find her no matter where she hid—and she'd have to pay what she owed either in credits or protoform.

Or else she'd end up just like . . . .

No.

Just or else.

Period.

This might server her quite well. The Prime was to _honorable _to go back on his word, and she could kill two digi-birds with one blaster shot.

So she laid it out.

"You'll want to know what I know about the Underground," She started.

Optimus nodded.

"The tunnels, the soldiers, the things that are kicking your afts from here to the next lifetime?"

Another nod.

"Names, cities, reasons?"

"Everything that you know, Jynx." The Prime nodded. "In exchange for what we know."

"You'll understand me when I say I'll want a bit more than that." She pressed.

"All your needs will be taken care of. You won't have to pay for anything."

She just tilted her helm.

Optimus sighed. "Alright, how much are we talking?"

She lifted one of her still chained hands and held up all five of her fingers.

"Five? Five what?"

"Five hundred for every odd I turn in your favor." She answered.

His optics narrowed. "That's a bit steep don't you think? Two hundred."

"Five."

"Two and a half?"

"Five."

"Four."

"Five."

"Come on now Jynx."

"My price is not a negotiation. You want me to tell you a damn thing, this is the terms. This in no way will be a fast process, Prime." She retorted. "This will take time, effort, I'll not be reveling all my secrets at once. They would be meaningless all at once. If you launched a large attack the Ground would just fall back, shut down those portions of tunnels and cities and go into hiding to regroup and them come back and burn your pretty New Iacon to the ground. Don't think they won't."

"I stopped doubting their abilities soon after we came home." He admitted.

"Smart mech." She replied.

"Some of the time." He said lightly before he took her in seriously again. "I think that sounds about fair."

"I thought it was decent." And would keep the hounds off her back if she worked it well enough. "What are your terms?"

"Well," He started. "There will be the obviousness of no killing anybot."

"Even the ones you want dead?"

"We have bots that are paid to do that." Prowl spoke up this time.

She cut him a look. "I help you flush them out; I get to help kill the bastards."

"I'm getting the feeling Jynx that you're not overly fond of the Underground." Ratchet said. "Strange for a bot that works for them."

"I hate them," She let out a low growl. "I hate every single Primus damned, pit spawned, glitched one of them. Helping you kill them? That's not at all hard."

The words were surprising to say the least.

Honestly, none of them had expected that. They thought Jynx was part of the Underground . . . but if she wasn't . . . how did she know such much about them, why did she stay in their cities if she hated them, why did she live like she did?

"Alright then," Optimus relented. "But only after I am sure you will not harm those on our side around you."

She could work that kink out later. For now, she guessed that would work. And if she had to let stupid Enforcers keep their helms and sparks so she could make the Master's mechs leak. She was pretty sure she could suffer through the loss.

"Okay,"

"Secondly," He went on. "You _will _obey every rule I lay out for you. _Every _one. If I order you to the brig you will go, if I order you to no kill somebot you will not do it, if I want answers you will give them. As long as you stay in my city and work in my house you will do as I say when I say it."

"Not the least bit power hungry are we mech?" She snorted.

He smiled. "When I am dealing with forces I cannot control I have a tendency to do whatever it takes to get a grip on them."

"I already told you," She narrowed her gaze behind her visor, not that he could tell. "I don't take orders."

"You agree to this deal," Optimus retorted. "You will be taking ours, but you'll be getting what you want Jynx. Is that not a fair trade?"

She was quiet for a good long while after that.

Weighing it over in her processor.

If it ever came a to be that she didn't like where his orders were putting her she could just tear into whoever it was that was stupid enough to try and make her do something she didn't want to do and then skip off. Getting away once she was let loose, doing whatever she wanted once she was cut loose, that was not going to be hard.

She could agree to that term for now.

Time would tell if she obeyed it.

"And you expect the crazy murderess to keep her word once she gives it to you?" She wondered. "What's going to stop me from doing whatever I want once you let me out of this chair?"

"Who says I'm letting you out of this chair?"

"You'll let me out, Prime." She snorted. "If you want me to tell you a damn thing. I will not live in your brig. I will not be any mech's prisoner."

"You will not be in the brig as long as you abide by the deal, but I also just can't trust you to run free." He said. "There is the little issue of wide spread panic once word gets out that I've fired a convicted murderess."

"Oh," She giggled. "So you _won't _trust the psycho?"

She really _did_ like this game.

No trust.

No issues.

Strictly business. Business of don't shot me I won't shot you, but shot me and you'll die slowly and painfully as the little femme took them apart piece by energon soaked piece.

"No, Jynx." He chuckled. "I'm desperate, not stupid."

"I can live with that," She nodded. "But I'm curious, if you don't keep me locked in the brig, how are you planning on keeping me bound to this little agreement of ours?"

His light blue optics flashed in a way she wasn't sure she liked. "You will agree to an escort. All breems of orn and night for as long as you are under my command."

"An escort?" She lifted an optic ridge though this time it didn't go high enough for them to see it.

"Yes."

"So a fancy sparkling sitter?"

"Well they worded it as 'crazy sitter', but yes I guess you could call it that." Ratchet chuckled.

"They?" She asked.

"I'm not foolish enough to put you in the hands of just one mech." The Prime said. "Two sets of optics, two sets of sensors, and they will be mechs fully capable of holding their own against you, Jynx. So testing them might not be in your best interest. You give them a reason they will not hesitate to offline you."

Well these mechs sounded downright fun.

She liked this deal more and more all the time.

"They will not share quarters with you per say, you deserve some type of privacy for agreeing to all this, but the only way in or out of your room will be through there's so sneaking out probably won't work out that well for you."

"I like challenges." She answered.

"I figured," He shrugged. "Test their patience as you will, you will be stuck with them for as long as I think it wise to keep you on a short leash. For the safety of everybot here."

"Of course." She grinned.

"So we," Optimus took a step closer to her watching as her helm tilted up to keep her visor locked on his optics. "Have an agreement?"

"To not kill each other for the mutual benefit of sending those bastard Underground to pit?" She questioned.

"Yes," Optimus nodded.

"Yeah, I'll play nice until we gut them all, but make no mistake Prime. I still hate you."

"And I still don't trust you, and most of the bots here hate you as well if that makes you feel any better."

"It does. Should be fun working with ya."

"I look forward to it."

* * *

**And so it begins.  
**

**I'd like to thank all of you who reviewed. You are amazing and I love you! You helped get this chapter out.**

**I noticed that most of you had some type of question about Megatron being with the Autobots. And you guys are right. Nothing magically got better between them. Remember we're starting up a good time after the war ended, a lot has happened, and it will all be told. As the story unfolds. I can't be giving everything away just yet now can I? Hope some of your questions might have been answered in this chapter. The next one, hopefully, will be up by next Friday. But guys I'm trying to keep two stories updated at the same time here while also juggling the real world. So it might be that updates come every other weekend. But no worries, they will come. I won't just leave you guys out to dry. I've started this, I'll do everything in my power to finish it. **

**So I hope you guys stick around. Please leave a review and tell me what you thought. I truly value your opinions. **

**See ya next update.**

**-Jaycee**


	4. The Fine Print

**Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers. Just the plot and OCs.**

* * *

Chapter 4

The Fine Print

She was still magnetized from the waist down in that damn chair, but the medic had freed her arms. They'd also given her a plastic cube of energon, but she hadn't touched it. She might have agreed to work with a bunch of goody, goody Enforcers but that did not mean she had turned into an idiot.

This was nothing other than a way to get what she wanted.

She was reminding herself of that every few klicks as she sat there allowing herself to be held down. The Prime had left taking the one called Prowl with him leaving the medic, Ratchet, and Jazz to keep an optic on her.

Jynx wasn't sure where they thought she'd go.

After all she just agreed to get paid for killing the bots she wanted dead. Why in the pit would she back out on that deal? That kind of slag just didn't happen.

Even her swirling processor could make sense of that.

Then again, that might be because at the moment it wasn't truly swirling.

Actually, if she was being honest with herself, it wasn't doing more than lightly circling at the moment. There were no brilliant colors, no wonderful sounds, only a dull drumming behind her optics. She was running on memories now. Memories of all the wonderful horrid things she had done.

Those were the memories she was trying to focus on at least. Because those kept the energon drumming in her audios.

They kept the rest of it away.

But that wouldn't last long.

She wasn't foolish enough to think that it would, but they'd have to let her up eventually.

When they did she would deal with the lack of swirling. She'd find something to entertain herself with.

Maybe gut a hobo when nobot was looking.

Yeah.

That would work.

"I know you've got to be hungry, femme." Ratchet speaking up drew her from herself and she tilted her helm up to gaze at him through her black visor before eying the liquid that sat on the table beside him and the silver saboteur.

She offered him a lazy smirk. "I'm fine."

"You've been here for three and a half orns and you haven't ate anything." Jazz countered. "We're not going to poison you if that's what you're thinking. It's not really our style."

"And what is your style, side jumper?" Jynx's optics flashed defiantly behind her visor at the way his jaw clenched at that title.

Oh. She'd struck a nerve.

How fun.

"What's this?" She giggled, not missing the way the medic shifted slightly his optics darting between her and the other mech in almost a protective stance. It seemed Jynx truly had stumbled upon a sour subject for the shadow stalker. His dear little friend was trying to protect him from it. Well, to bad he wouldn't get the chance. "Don't like being called an ex-Decepticon, ex-Decepticon?"

"You'll find out real fast in here, sweetspark. That nobot here is fond of that title. There are none here. You'd be wise to remember that." Jazz's optics narrowed behind his visor trying to effectively end the conversation.

However, she took that as permission to keep on poking the static-hound with a sharp stick.

She wanted to see what it would take for it to try and bite her. The notion of it already had her claws twitching.

"But there are so many here." She smiled almost sweetly, but if they could see the gleam in her optics behind that black glass they'd know just how full of the love of danger they were. Jynx was the type that played with fire because she _liked _getting burned.

The last thing these glitches needed to do was give her something she could undoubtedly make blow up in her faceplate.

Little did she know they were just about to hand her something on a shiny silver platter that would do just that. In fact, she'd be sharing a room with them.

"I mean come on now, mech." She went right on poking. "Big Bad Megatron is around here somewhere is he not? Soundwave, and so many more of those nameless lackeys of his. Why it is just a sad little family get together isn't it? You're all newly refurbished war heroes come home to slaughter the innocent, end all our fun, and die at the claws of a mech you don't understand. This place is just one big old train wreck. I love it here!"

Jazz gave her a sneer. "You're the one that agreed to help us, sweetspark."

"Nah," She leaned back in her chair. "I agreed to use ya and get paid for it."

"Call it what ya like." Jazz grumbled. "You're doing it all the same. You're the one that jumped on board this 'train wreck'."

"Well that's because I'm glitched." She tilted her helm. "Why'd you do it?"

Something almost surprised flashed through Jazz's optics as well as Ratchet's before the door behind them swung open and the Prime returned with his 'most trusted adviser' in tow and two more that made Jynx go as tense as a bow string.

Her plating shrank to her protoform, her visor darkened to pitch black, her claws dug into the chair arms, and her processor became a blank slate.

It was terrifying. It was pathetic.

She hated it.

She was looking at . . . those _twins_.

And then in one horrifying moment it clicked for her.

The Prime had said _two_ would be her escorts.

_Wait! Them!?_

_Oh pit no._

"Jynx," The Prime greeted as they strolled in before his optics came to rest on the femme. That was when he noticed the change.

This was not the relaxed and almost happy prisoner he had left a few klicks ago. This was a bomb about to go off.

Jazz, Ratchet, Prowl, and the twins saw it too.

"Jynx?" This time her designation was a question, but it didn't really make it through the blankness that had taken over her processor.

She heard the Prime sure; she could see the way they tensed. She knew that she probably looked like the cocked hammer of a blaster too. She couldn't do anything about it though. All she could think was _twins_.

This could not be happening right now.

"Jynx!" It took the massive two tone mech's shout to finally get her to hear through her panic and let her optics slide back to his own.

She just sat there though.

Because there was nothing else she could do magnetized down to this damn chair. She couldn't slice the two freaks to pieces and she couldn't run away. She could only let her anger, her hatred, her fear bubble up inside her until it had her hissing through bared fangs.

"Get the pit away from me!"

It was safe to say that Optimus was confused.

This didn't make any sense.

He'd left four klicks ago to fill in the twins and bring them in so that Jynx would know who she'd be spending the rest of her foreseeable future with and she'd been fine with the agreement when he left. Now he comes back and she looks like she wants to put all their helms on a stake and let them rust in the sun.

He knew the femme wasn't really firing right on all cylinders, but this deal had seemed like the good thing for all of them. What had gone wrong in four klicks?

Well, what had went wrong was Jynx was thinking far too clearly as she stared into those mirror optics and remembering _way _to fraggin' much.

This was _not _going to happen. She would not allow it.

"If you think I'm going to be sparkling sat by a pair of _abominations,_" The air in that small room turned to ice.

Sunstreaker and Sideswipe growled, Ratchet's optics narrowed to slits, Optimus' faceplate hardened, Jazz scowled, and Prowl . . . well Prowl just looked kind of curious.

"You're out of your damn helm! Deals off! Now either kill me or let me go." The bitter hatred in that little white femme's voice was enough to make armor crawl, but the only response she got was Sunstreaker growling even deeper as he stalked across the small room his whole frame wound tight ready to come completely undone if she so much as twitched the wrong way, the only thing stopping him being Optimus' hand shooting out to catch him.

But that didn't stop him from snarling down at her. "You did not just call us abominations."

"What, hit a nerve did I, pretty-mech?" She snarled right back at him, wanting more than anything for him to rip her out of this magnetized chair and try to take her apart just so she could dig her claws into him.

He had _touched _her.

He and the other one!

She had been close enough to be touched by _twins_!

Her energon was bubbling in her veins, and not in the good way that she craved. It bubbled in the way she had been running away from for oh so very long.

She had to get _out _of here!

"Yes I said _abomination_! Because you are! Fraggin' _twin_." The word rolled off her ever sharp tongue like acid, but she was far from done. "You're a curse! You shouldn't even be breathing! You're a mista—"

The last word never made it out of Jynx's lips before Sunstreaker backhanded her—not even the Prime's grip on him was going to stop him now—her helm jerked to the side with a painful sounding snap as the echo of metal hitting metal echoed across the room and Jynx was left momentarily stunned. It had been a long time since a mech had slapped her, it made her stall briefly. She even tasted energon before she suddenly found herself getting just what she had wanted. Which was the plan all along.

Sort of.

She hadn't really thought the sting of that hit was going to gorge so deep into her spark.

However, that didn't matter. For now she could deal with it. It was only fuel for the flames.

His rumbling growl was everywhere, everything happening so fast, she hardly had time to register the sting of the hit before his thick fingers curled around her throat and yanked her from the hold the magnets had on her so harshly she felt more than a few panels on her thighs buckle and crack. Energon pooled to the areas as the force of the yank tore plating from protoform in such a painful retch she felt coolant tears prickle the edge of her optics behind her visor, but she didn't care.

She was lose.

Everything else was collateral.

Or at least she had been lose for about half a nano before she found herself slammed into the ground so hard she felt a backstrut snap. It would have drawn a cry from her had her air and energon flow not been cut off with his hands around her neck.

Maybe this hadn't been such a good idea.

Oh well.

No time to worry about that now.

She had a golden glitch to remove from her frame since he was managing to choke a scream out of her.

It was that muffled scream that tore from her that seemed to snap the rest of them into realizing that Sunstreaker was going to kill her, not that Jynx was going to let that happen.

Die by this glitches hand? Please.

The other mechs hardly sprang toward them before she hooked a clawed ped into his injured hip and slammed as hard as she possibly could. He sprang back with a snarl of pain, his grip only leaving her for half a klick, but it was enough. She twisted out from under him ignoring the flash of hot pain from the back of her knees and calves before she tackled him backward her claws digging into his own neck drawing energon in an alarming rate before they even crashed back to the floor.

She didn't get any further though.

The other twin registered the golden one's pain and she found a hand closing around her helm and yanking back so hard she felt another snap as Sideswipe pealed her off Sunstreaker in a rage of his own and tossed her into the back wall.

She crashed there with a loud thud the impact jarring her more then she would admit and she was left dazed only to come out of it with a shake of her helm to find herself punched in the gut.

The plating almost buckled with the force of the hit before Sides grabbed her by the back of the helm again and slammed her helm down into his brought up knee. She was lucky he only nailed her in the forehelm and not in her visor.

Thank Primus he missed her visor.

White hot pain flashed through her anyway though as he growled out. "No bot hurts my brother!"

"Sideswipe stop!" Optimus and Ratchet launched forward for the crimson mech as he latched onto Jynx again and bashed her back into the wall making her gasp. The small white femme was aware of the energon bubbled in her mouth and leaking down her lips. Just as she was aware of the energon rolling down the back of her legs, and the busted plating, energon lines, and cracked plates in her middle. Add that to the damage that had just been done to her helm and one might think that Jynx was down for the count.

Not likely.

When the Prime, the medic, and even the saboteur—the doorwinged adviser was trying to hold Sunstreaker back now that his throat was leaking energon—latched hold of Sideswipe tying to peal him off of her. Jynx just let herself go limp, seeming as if the mech had knocked her incoherent.

She knew the Prime was too good to let one of his warriors kill a femme that couldn't fight back.

And she was right.

"She's had enough, Sideswipe!" Optimus growled at the red mech pulling him off her with Ratchet's help while Jynx crashed to her knees. She coughed a few times feeling the sticky, tangy, taste of her own energon slide up her throat only to be splattered out onto the ground. It was kind of an alarming amount.

Not that she was worried.

No.

Not at all.

In fact, if her helm wasn't aching so bad she'd be laughing. Because at least now she wasn't thinking.

She was only acting and reacting.

Which is just what she did next.

Jazz reached for her trying to help her up and up she came. Swinging.

Doubling up her fist she nailed him in the noseplate, hitting hard enough to send him sprawling backward before she sprang back when the medic grasped for her and then sliced her claws down his chest before kicking him hard in the middle. The grunt of pain made her smirked dangerously.

She was coming alive again.

But she wasn't near done.

She was going to make that red glitch and that golden one pay. For simply being, or for making her remember all of it. She wasn't really sure, and she didn't really care. Her world was spinning again.

Blurs and actions.

Which was fine with her. It didn't need to make since. She just needed to do it.

So that was the reason she dodged the Prime, let power coil in her legs, and sprang for the red twin just as she had the golden one. Her claws going for his throat.

She hit home, since the Prime had still been trying to keep him back in the end leaving him open for Jynx to gut. She slammed into him drawing a pained sound from him as they crashed back into the floor and she dug in. Ped claws and all into his bright armor and she let loose a dark laugh before she retched back a chunk of armor from his arm before the two of them had registered the smack into the hard ground.

Energon splattered and he actually yowled painfully as she retched back the thick armor throwing it across the room before she went for his throat.

But she never reached it.

Pain exploded into her again when the golden one tackled her off with a feral sound that actually made some part of her conscious shiver a little. Not that she'd admit to it.

"Don't you fraggin' TOUCH HIM!" Sunstreaker raged through bared teeth at her when they crashed back into the hard floor. She hissed right back hooking a leg around to dig her claws into his main backstrut shoving all of her weight into the kick, but he didn't even seem to feel it as his fist closed around throat again and he slammed her back into the floor.

That was when it suddenly accrued to her.

She might not be able to best him.

She . . . might not beat this mech . . . .

That wouldn't do.

She struggled, bucked and hissed and kicked at him with her clawed peds, digging into the armor around his own neck with her hands, trying anything and everything to get him to let up enough that her vision would stop fading black and she could get some kind of leverage.

Jynx had actually managed to get a claw dug into a seem of his injured hip that was sure to have him at least gasping in pain when Ratchet and Prowl hauled him off of her yelling.

"Enough Sunstreaker!" Ratchet growled at him as the golden mech thrashed against their hold trying to get back at her and most likely take her apart. That was when Jynx saw it.

His optics had bled red.

He was raging to the point he had no self control. He was acting on animalistic intent. Much like Fallback had.

She quickly filed it away.

She'd beat Fallback because he'd been too animal to think. She'd find a way to beat this mech too.

She knew she would.

Which was why she hissed through her pain and pushed herself back up fully ready to tear into the pair of mechs that were being held back only to have massive arms snake around her and haul her off the floor until she was pressed against the powerful chest of the Prime held to where her arms were pinned to her sides and her legs could only dangle helplessly.

Needless to say.

She panicked.

"Let go!" She screech as she realized that this mech's hold was far too strong for her to break. He was just too big. She couldn't get leverage. She couldn't get anything lose from his hold. All she could do was twist and kick—not even her clawed peds finding armor to dig into with the way he had her angled—and it didn't do her any good.

"Calm down," Optimus' tone was annoyed and frustrated, yet still that commanding note that made a part of her freeze up was there again, and it sliced through her blur.

That lesson that had been beat into her long, long ago by the hand that was supposed to care came rushing back to the forefront of her processor.

And she stalled to a still for a moment, because she couldn't fight those beat in lessons.

The tone was just so similar.

It rang too close to home—slicing through her blurred state of fighting in one fail swoop—it slammed into her processor shattering the swirl she lived in to block it all out until she could _see _it.

Those hatred filled red optics staring down at her.

For a moment her spark stopped in sheer panic as those optics burned through her memory and then every fiber or her came alive in a desperate need to get away. Not just from the Prime, but from the memories as well.

She screamed so loudly Optimus felt an audio almost shatter before she slammed her helm back repeatability into his chest hard enough that it hurt him so it had to be agonizing for her, and she was already leaking badly.

"That is enough! Jynx!" Now he was almost pleading with the little femme as she screamed and thrashed against him trying every way she could possibly think of to make him let her go. He wasn't going to do it though. He couldn't. Not until she calmed down. He didn't want this to be this way. He wanted this to work. They could help each other if only she would realize it. She just had to stop fighting. And right now she had to stop giving herself a concussion. "Stop it!"

"LET GO!" Her screaming reached a new level as she thrashed, and it was then that Optimus heard it. So did Ratchet, Jazz, and Prowl—the twins were still a little too busy raging —and yet they stilled slightly at the tone that was coming out of that lethal little thing.

The panic.

The fear.

She was afraid of Optimus holding her like this.

Honest to Primus, _afraid_.

"LET GO! YOU FRAGGIN' BASTARD! _LET ME GO!_"

"I'm not going to hurt you, Jynx." Optimus' tightened his grip as she struggled trying to get her to be still. "You have to calm down!"

"GET OFF ME! GET THE FRAG AWAY FROM ME! YA SLAGGIN' GLITCH LET GO!" She couldn't get lose. She wasn't going to. She realized that now. And it was like waking up in that nightmare all over again. She wasn't strong enough to get away from him. No matter how hard she was trying he was just too strong for her to beat like this.

And she was starting to hyperventilate.

Bashing her helm back again and again she was fully prepared to knock herself out, better she be unconscious then trapped in a mech's grip with no way out. However, the Prime seemed to have other plans. He tightened his grip, bringing her even close to his thick chest, until she had no way to struggle. She couldn't even pull her helm up enough now to slam in back into him.

She refused to believe she was shaking.

Because she wasn't.

She really wasn't.

"Calm. Down." Optimus ground out trying to get through to her. "I'm not going to hurt you. Calm down."

She had no way left to fight him.

That was slowly sinking in, as was the tremor in her plating. With her visor glued to the floor—she didn't want to see the mechs in front of her, she could hear the twins stop struggling, they were seeing her give up, and she fraggin' hated it. She didn't want to see it.

She just sagged in his hold. Legs no longer kicking and her helm dropping forward.

She couldn't really believe it, but she was. She stopped.

She gave up.

She couldn't do anything but that. It was just too much the same.

She was at his mercy now.

And she knew very well there was no such thing as mercy.

He might talk that he was all about goodness and rights for all, but she knew that it was slag. There was no such thing as goodness. There was only cruelty and the strong using the weak.

She had just proved herself too weak to get away from him like this.

He was the strong one for now, and there was nothing she could do but hang there in his grip and wait for what was to come.

Her breathing was still ragged and Optimus could feel the tremors running through her leaving the Prime's processor locking down on that very fact that he really couldn't believe.

It seemed the fearless Jynx was not so fearless after all.

That brought Optimus no kind of joy though.

It stabbed him right through the spark actually.

Yes she had been fully ready to rip them all to shreds not three klicks ago, but the nano he got her restrained to where she had no way to fight back he saw that he had been right before. About the look he had seen in the medical bay.

And he was now pit bent on making this work.

It wouldn't be the first help he offered that wasn't wanted, and in all honesty he still needed what the femme knew.

But it seemed they were not yet done hashing out what needed to be addressed.

He wouldn't allow her to hurt his bots, and he didn't want them to hurt her. Especially now that she was shaking in his arms. He could see past the whirlwind that she hid behind now that she was trembling so near the matrix.

She truly was just a _tiny _little minibot that hardly reached _Jazz's _shoulders. She was thin, and ragged, and worn. Simple bright white paint and a few touches of blue plating stretched over a protoform that was small ever for a femme.

She was not as untouchable and unbeatable as the infamous designation that preceded her lead bots to believe.

Right now she was nothing more than a scared—relatively young, she couldn't have been sparked before the war started—little femme shaking in his arms, and the mech that was supposed to be the protector and leader of his race could not help but want to try and show her that she was wrong.

That things didn't have to be like this.

Though he knew, easy task that would not be.

Just because he had her in his grip didn't mean he had her beat. He just had to make her understand. This couldn't happen again. She would not hurt his family. Because if she did it again.

He'd kill her.

He'd have too.

And he really didn't want too.

"Calm now?" He rumbled softly trying not to startle her into even more a panic then she was already in.

She hissed quietly, but didn't struggle anymore. So Optimus slowly, carefully, warily placed the leaking and shaking little femme on the ground thinking she'd bounce to her peds and leap away from him. Only she didn't.

She dropped like a brick to her knees and just crumpled there.

It was disturbing.

Where had the fire gone? Where was her will to fight?

Jynx couldn't help it though.

It was hardwired into her. Had been for a long time. When she knew she was beat she just shut down. Her processor . . . everything locked away in the dark . . . it wouldn't _let_ her fight when she'd been beaten, and that was not an easy thing for her to accept. It wasn't like her spark, her need for the swirl of freedom, didn't scream at her to jump to her peds and tear his optics out. However, she couldn't.

It was another one of those lessons.

Lessons she _couldn't _forget. No matter how bad she wanted too.

And this one was to bend to the mech that could beat you. Obey he who makes himself your master. She could see those purple optics narrow and burning into her very soul. She could hear his voice.

She remembered.

That truly was the worst thing in the world that could happen to her too.

The Prime had won.

He could do as he wished. She wouldn't fight back.

She didn't know how.

Shaking and crumpled there she felt the atmosphere in the room change. She felt the tension melt out and curiosity seep in. She was very much aware they knew every story of her, ever horrid thing she'd done that older siblings told their younger ones as ghost stories at night. She was one of those infamous rebels that stalked the desert, fearless and sparkless, afraid of nothing and dangerous to everybot. Every returning spark to Cybertron knew of her.

She was a monster.

And yet here she was kneeling at the Prime's feet after tearing into most of them in a blind rage that rivaled anything these mechs had ever seen.

She'd just stopped.

They didn't understand.

How could they?

She wasn't going to let them understand why she did the things that she did, but that didn't mean she could act any different then she had been taught.

Her processor was to clear . . . she was far too sober.

Now . . . now she was nothing other than a freak trapped in her darkness memories.

Burning purple optics. Evil red ones. That laugh that chilled her when she dared recharge sober.

It was there.

It was there and she was awake! It was horrifying.

Swirling in the back of her helm and she _couldn't _stop it!

A tiny whimper left her as she crouched low, balling in on herself and grasping her helm between her claws digging into her own plating to try and chase that echoing laugh from her processor.

Until a surprisingly gentle pair of hands carefully took hold of her wrist and slowly pulled her claws away from drawing her own energon she was digging in so hard. She spooked. Jumping back slightly and looking up wildly behind her dark visor to find that the Prime had knelt down in front of her—and he still towered over her—as he appeared to be trying to come off as less threatening.

The simple thought of that made the little femme want to be sick.

She couldn't believe this was happening right now! She couldn't believe she was letting herself do this again!

This wasn't her! Not anymore. She was not the helpless tiny thing that hadn't been able to save herself! She was the fearless murderess that did whatever she pleased whenever she pleased and took order from no mech.

And she was more than happy to go on telling herself that lie even now. Even when she knew that it hadn't been true.

Ever.

Not when they blew that compound to the stars. Not when they learned to survive on their own. Not when they'd been okay for the first time in their miserable little lives.

Because it wasn't true. She'd never saved herself.

She couldn't save herself . . . let alone him.

She whimpered—hating herself for it—as she tried to weekly pull away from the massive two tone Prime that was crouched before her like he was trying to coax a feral robo-cat out from underneath a rock.

"Please," She whispered. "Let go."

Surprisingly he did just that. Leaning away at her request and letting her ball into herself. Energon stained claws clutching at her white plating that was damaged and leaking in several places quite badly. She looked awful. Down to the fear etched into her very breathing.

Optimus wasn't sure what changed, and it might be true he suddenly had a little psychopath currently—possibly—under his control, but he was positive he didn't like it.

Nothing and nobot had ever looked up at him with such _fear _before.

It was horrible.

"Easy," He said softly letting his hands come back down to hang limply as he balanced his weight on the balls of his peds his elbows resting on his thighs and his forearms hanging down. This had to be the most non-confrontational he'd ever been in his whole life, and she still shivered there in a gathered puddle of her own energon.

And he didn't know what to do with her.

Psychotic Jynx; that he could deal with, he'd dealt with plenty before, and he knew how to play her game. Keep her interested and on the same page as him and things would work out for the best. . . most likely. That had been his plan anyway, and earlier it seemed to be working.

This frightened young femme though . . . he didn't know how he was supposed to handle her. Because he wasn't sure when she'd snap back to kill-everybot-and-laugh-about-it Jynx. He didn't know what would set her off and have her trying to kill the twins—wait . . . _that was it_!

That had been when this all changed.

When she saw the twins!

Optimus' processor reeled back to what Jazz had said when he carried her in. Sideswipe had said that he and Sunstreaker were twins, and then she'd glitched!

This was about the twins. She might be terrified of him right now, but something told him she was terrified of them as well. Those horrible things she had said, they had been so full of bitterness and hatred that the Prime had missed it before. However, now he was playing it all back.

And there had been fear there too.

She was afraid of the twins, because they were twins, and she was afraid of Optimus because he had stopped her, he had beat her, he had _controlled _her.

He wasn't sure how all this really added up, but somehow it did.

It was intriguing.

Seems there were many more puzzles that made up Jynx then he first thought.

The question now was; how to get them back to playing on the same team so they could use each other and all get what they wanted.

Because that team had to work.

It was his only hope.

He knew he was going to have to take it slowly though.

"Easy," He softly repeated himself, watching the way she flinched away when he tried to reach out again. So he gave that up and just crouched before her. "I'm not going to hurt you, Jynx."

She only glared through that dark black piece of curved glass.

She didn't believe him.

Of course.

Why would she believe him? That would make this easy.

And he already knew; nothing when it came to her was going to be easy.

It never was.

"I'm really not." He stressed. "I already told you. I wanted to work with you, not kill you."

She snorted.

She didn't know what else to do. He'd won. He could do whatever he wanted, but she would _not _be around twins.

She _wouldn't_!

"I thought that was something you wanted as well?" He went on.

"No," She mumbled. "I still want to kill you."

That actually made him smirk. Strangely enough.

"Well that didn't really work well did it?"

"Seems not." She looked away again.

"I thought we had a deal." He said.

"I agreed to work with you." Her glare snapped right back up. "Not a pair of abominations!"

Sunstreaker and Sideswipe snarled anew starting forward only to have Ratchet raise a hand to both their chests without any effort affectively holding them back. They would not challenge Ratchet. Not after all he had done for them. Not after they had grown to trust him.

They really hated that little glitch right now, but they would stay back.

For now.

But Optimus really needed to get her to shut her damn mouth.

However, Jynx answered their snarls with a quiet hiss. She had lost to the Prime, not to them. She was still not convinced that she couldn't beat them. At least apart.

She was thinking clearly enough now that she knew if they came at her together she might as well be held by the Prime again. She would stand no chance then.

But it seemed she need not worry about that right now.

"They're not abominations." Optimus' wise blue optics hardened as he stared down at her.

"Shows what you know." She spit back.

"I know them well." He countered. "You don't know them at all."

"I know enough." She scowled, letting her lip curl up to revel her right fang as she let lose a louder feral hiss. "Twins are a curse."

It certainly had been her curse, and that was all she cared to think on the matter. It was all she could think on the matter. Anymore and she'd probably take a sledge hammer to her temple trying to beat the memoires out. Since she was _too_ _sober to have this damn Primus forsaken fraggin' conversation_!

She was surprised though when the red one laughed. "Yeah, and you're a psychotic little glitch, what's new?"

He would admit to being a curse?

Her confusion must have shown on her faceplate.

"We're fully aware what the universe thinks of us, _Wild Cat._" The new title confused her, but the way he growled it intrigued her. He hated her. They both hated her.

Well good.

She hated them too.

"We know damn good and well, but we are what we make ourselves not what any other damn glitch wants to call us." Sideswipe narrowed his optics as they ran over her leaking, tiny frame. "We are not curses. We've got as much right to be here as you."

He was wrong.

Oh so very wrong, and a part of her wanted to call him on that, but it was hard to do when so much raw belief burned in those vivid, dark, blue orbs. He believed his words and nothing she said was ever going to change his mind.

Ever.

She could snarl and fight with all of them all she wanted, having conversations that were making her spark ache and her processor clear, or she could take this a different way and figure out a way out of this room.

She still wanted the Underground dead.

Especially now that she was thinking clearer—remembering even more—and she still knew that the Prime's resources were the only way she was going to be able to accomplish that.

As much as she completely hated that.

Turning away from the argument with the stupid red glitch that thought he was anything other then a universal mistake she let her dark visor rest on the Prime.

"I will not be sparkling sat by _them_."

"That was what you agreed too." Optimus tilted his helm. "Two escorts."

"I DIDN'T KNOW THEY WERE TWINS!" She hissed, some of the fight returning to her, but not enough to get her off her knees. He'd still beaten her. She was still at his mercy. She couldn't move even if she wanted too.

And believe her.

She wanted too.

"Should have read the fine print, sweetspark." Jazz grinned deviously at her.

She hissed at him.

He hissed right back.

And she scoffed.

He just smirked.

"A deals a deal," Jazz went on stepping forward cautiously. More than aware when she tensed up again, sinking down lower to the floor. That flash went through her visor again.

She was still afraid.

But the saboteur did not think that was a good thing.

He hadn't liked the utter defeat that had taken over the little thing anymore then Optimus, or Ratchet, or Prowl, or even the twins had. Not even Sunstreaker. Jazz knew him well enough to know that he thought it was weak and pathetic and wrong.

He might hate her right now, but he respected a fighting spirit. She'd been brave—or stupid—enough to take them on, and there was still the inking in the back of his processor. She had saved Sideswipe when he hadn't been there too. Even if she hadn't meant too. Even if she would probably never do it again.

She had saved him.

As far as he was concerned she was still breathing after scratching his paint, hurting his twin, and daring to say the things she had said. His debt to her was repaid.

He owed her nothing now, but he wouldn't forget what happened in the desert.

However, that didn't mean he enjoyed seeing the little thing shake on the floor.

She might be a murderer that had made their lives a living pit ever since they got back on this rock, but she was also the one that knew how to beat the Underground.

He needed her.

He needed her to end this and keep his family safe.

So he needed her back on her stupid peds and agreeing to be agreeable again and not make him snap and want to rip her helm off.

Because Ratchet might not be able to stop him a second time.

"You agreed to it," Jazz went on. "You take it back now?"

Her helm lowered slightly as she tilted it while she admitted. "I want those bastards dead."

"Well you can't take down something as big as them on your own now can you?" He pressed.

"If I could I would have done it already." She mumbled.

"So you admit you still need us?" Prowl questioned.

"And you still need me." She snapped back at him.

"We're still aware of that." Ratchet crossed his thick arms over his chest, sure now that twins would stay put behind him. "It's the only reason you're still breathing after that stunt."

The twins snorted in harmony.

Oh she knew that—hated that she had to admit to it—but she knew it all the same.

"Now," Starting forward the yellow and red medic carefully closed the distance between them, watching carefully as she shrank even deep into herself making herself even more tiny, until he was standing beside Optimus as he crouched before her. "Will you behave and let me fix you _again_ or do I have to sedated you, strap you down, and we start this process all over again?"

Jynx was not so big on being strapped down again, and as much as she hated where her processor was right now and definitely wanting something that would blur it again the drugs the medic would use were not strong enough to make her forget and would only trap her in an loop of things she wanted to forget so that was definitely out of the question.

And she really didn't want to have this conversation anymore.

She wanted to get out of this damn cage like room and start finding Ground to gut before they figured out what she'd done. That wasn't going to be a long time. She knew they were quite capable of finding out. Especially when her pay orn came up and she wasn't where they could find her.

_He _was not going to be happy that orn.

So it would be much, much, better for her if she just went on and killed him before her debt needed to be paid again with credits she didn't have.

And so she bowed her helm and yielded.

For now.

The twin issue was still in need of hashing out.

"You won't sedate me?" She asked him, because she did not want to be trapped in her helm right now.

Not when she could still hear him laughing and see both their optics.

"Not if you don't make me." Ratchet assured her.

With a shaky, slow nod she gave in.

* * *

The patch job was _nothing _like anything Jynx had ever experienced before.

There was no painful jabs, or straying welding torches, no harsh pulling, or bangs that had no purpose. Ratchet was careful, kind even. When he had her roll onto her front—knowing all ready she'd tense at the command—he gave no reason for Jynx to fight him. He was strictly professional. He welded her plating back together, helping the nanites to start bringing the color back to the damaged areas before he had her roll back over so that he could fix what Sideswipe ruptured when he punched her in the gut.

He didn't pull at any of her plating to take it from her protoform though. Something Jynx was secretly glad for, though she supposed it didn't matter. He'd fixed her a few times now and she'd been dead to the world. He'd probably removed the plating in a few places at least the first time with how damaged she'd been.

He'd probably already seen.

That didn't stop her from hating it though.

They were her secrets to keep.

It seemed Primus was deciding to offer her a bit of luck for now though because the medic didn't remove anything. He fixed her quickly and quietly and she just did as he said. It was that or get drugged with slag nowhere near strong enough to make her forget.

Getting mech-handled was the better option in her book.

Crazy as that seemed.

She'd been in the big overly white space for about a bream and a half when he'd fixed everything but the damage they had each done to her helm. The slap that knocked more than a few things lose and the bash to her forehelm that still had her aching.

There surprisingly was no dent from the bash she'd taken against the red idiot's knee. Just cracked plating and energon that had seeped into the wound. Ratchet gently tilted her helm down as she sat upright now on the berth letting him maneuver her to where he could clean the wound, he made no move to patch it though.

"It's not deep," He told her softly, careful not to be too loud now that he had her so still and quiet—almost sane—the last thing he needed to do right now, after all of that, was spook her.

Optimus was reclined in the corner of the medical bay watching carefully—none of them were big on anybot being in a room along with Jynx—but Ratchet didn't want him to have to step in again.

He wanted the femme to understand that he would not hurt her unless she forced him too. Not to have her trust, he knew right now that was too much to ask for, just as his was too much to ask for, but to have an understanding to not harm one another would be helpful.

He had a feeling with as wild as she strung herself he was going to be patching her up often. It was going to be the twins all fraggin' over again.

A part of him didn't mind that too much though.

"Your self repair systems should take care of it before tomorrow." He finished cleaning away the energon before tossing the rag to the side and starting to look over the damage Sunstreaker had done to her cheek.

"Alright," She mumbled quietly. It was hard to talk with his grip on her chin, but he wasn't being firm or cruel so she still had use of it. That in itself was surprising.

"I won't advise you do something like that again though."

Her optics darted down to the thin gashes sealed over with energon on his chest that had yet to be repaired. She'd made those marks. Satisfaction bubble in the bottom of her tanks, but not as much as normal.

It was odd.

She ignored it in favor of scoffing at him.

"I will not be near twins."

Ratchet looked down at her, faceplate unreadable, as he let go of her chin and studied her.

"Those twins are mechs I consider family. That all of us consider family." He told her neutrally.

"Well I consider them curses." She retorted.

"Curses?" He snorted. "Femme, if they were cursed they'd be dead."

She just stared at him slightly confused.

He went on. "All the slag they pull. All the times I've had to piece them back together from nothing. They were frontliners in a war that has been raging longer then you've been alive. And they survived. Which is more than can be said for most of all the others. Those two have more dumb luck then anybot I've ever met. At least Sideswipe does. Sunstreaker just kind of goes along for the ride I think. However it works, it works. They're not curses, femme."

She didn't believe him.

They were a curse.

For her they were.

When she didn't reply to him Ratchet sighed and went back to repairing her quietly. The silence stretched on for a few more klicks before he'd finished and stepped back. Looking over the work he'd just done while she sat there rigid and still as if she was waiting for him to pull out the hacksaw and start dicing her to pieces.

Somehow, Ratchet figured that that just might be what she was thinking. It made him cringe, but for now he kept it to himself. Now was not the time.

They had other things to discuss.

Like the pair of glitches he could almost feel lurking outside his bay doors. They'd returned with Jazz and Prowl after First Aid attended to them in the bay on the west wing that the CMO had turned over to his more than capable apprentice so that they could stop tripping over each other and chunking stuff at each other—well really Ratchet was the one chunking things at him, but really who kept up with such things.

They were trivial.

The mechs outside those reinforced door were waiting for what would happen next. Whether or not the femme was going to be escorted to their newly refurbished—Hoist and Wheeljack had been working since the first meeting the Prime held—quarters they would now be sharing with the little high strung glitch.

Things were still yet to be seen though.

This was only going to work if Optimus could talk her into it again.

And that chance was now or never.

Jynx watched the big medic step back while the Prime pushed himself to his peds and slowly strolled over to her. She had noticed the way they all moved around her as if scared of setting off a feral beast—that was a good thing—they needed to be afraid of her.

Just because she was dossal on the berth right now did not mean she would stay that way. She was just too lost in her own processor right now to do anything more then watch what they were doing. She pretended that didn't make her want to purge.

Coming to stop before her Optimus crossed his thick arms over his chest and stared down at her with those light, _knowing_, optics of his. She sneered at him just trying to get him to look like something else then a scolding sibling of some kind. Because that was far too much for her to handle right now.

"If I asked you a question, Jynx." He started. "Would you be honest with me?"

"Probably not." She replied.

He smiled slightly. "I figured, but I'll ask anyway. Why do you hate all of us so much?"

For a moment she stared at the massive mech in utter bewilderment before a small choke of sorts worked its way through her and then she through her helm back laughing. And Primus did she laugh.

Long and hard.

Until she was clutching to her sides and rocking back and forth on the berth.

"Y-y-you want me," She choked around another laugh. "To tell you why I h-hate—haha—ya so much?"

Optimus nodded, not at all swayed by her laughter. If anything he was curious.

Especially when she sobered up so fast it was like a flip switched and he was left fighting the urge to step back as that black visor locked onto him once again.

"Because you're stupid Autobots ruined my life." She replied dry. "Over and over and over again. You and the damn Decepticons. And now, you're doing it again you stupid self righteous big-it! You think yourself so high and mighty, the Primus sent bringer of hope. Well all you've ever brought to me is pain, and I'll kill you for it one orn. You mark my words I will. It's like you said. You're only still breathing because for now you're worth more to me alive then twitching and screaming under my claws. But make no mistake about it. I'll kill you. I'll find a way. It won't be fair and it won't be clean because I've seen now I stand no chance against ya that way. So I'll be forced to kill you like a monster, and I'm perfectly okay with that. I'll enjoy it actually. Especially for what you did earlier. For now though, even I'm not crazy enough to think I can bring down the Master on my own. And considering I hate him _way _more then I hate you for now we seem to be equally content on using one another to get what we want. So that's how it will be I guess. For now. Answer your question, Primey?"

There were so many questions that sprang to mind with that statement, but Optimus knew that for now that was all the answer he was going to get. So that would be the one he would except.

It told him a little bit more which was what he hoped for, and it brought back that uneasy feeling that being in Jynx's presence had left him with before.

Call him crazy, but he had actually wanted it to come back.

The scared little femme from earlier was not of any use to him, as cruel as he knew that made him seem, it was true. He needed the Jynx bent on revenge for things she'd probably never tell him. Because only that Jynx was going to be willing to work with them on his terms to get what he needed done.

"In a way or sorts." He replied to her. "And it leads me to my next question. You're still willing to agree to our deal? Enemy of my enemy is my friend, and all that slag?"

She narrowed her optic behind her visor, not that he could see it

"You still want me to be escorted by those twins." It wasn't a question, and the words were as prickly as a wire-porcupine.

"After this afternoon, I'm more then convinced they can handle you perfectly fine on their own. So yes, the twins will still be your escorts. That is how the deal will work."

"I'm _sure _you have plenty other bots more than capable of thinking they could handle me." She did _not _want to be stuck with the constant reminder that was them.

"Oh I do," Optimus assured her. "But those two have far less responsibilities then all those other bots, and now they have a knew found fondness of putting you in your place."

She hissed at him.

He wasn't swayed. "They twins_ will _be you're escorts, Jynx. Or the deals off."

Not hardly a bream earlier she would have been done right then. Told the big glitch to take his deal and shove it up his righteous tailpipe. Now though, now she was vengeful again, and she wanted energon between her claws.

_His _energon between her claws.

And she knew very well that this was the only way she was going to get. Or else she'd end up swinging from the end of a rope just like—

She shook her helm.

She wasn't going there.

This was the only option she had. She knew that. Every other way she died before she even got close to ripping the sparks out that she wanted. And she might not really care whether she lived or died anymore, but she did care about living long enough to hear their choked off screams as she shoved their sparks down their throats.

So, she needed the Prime . . . and his pair of curses.

She would have to play by his rules.

Damn.

She looked away with a long hiss. "Fine."

Ratchet's and Optimus' faceplates fell in shock though they quickly schooled their expressions again before she returned her gaze to theirs.

"And you won't try and murder them in their recharge forcing them to have to kill you in return?" Ratchet questioned her.

She glared. "I play nice, I get to kill Underground?"

Optimus nodded.

"_My _way?"

"To a degree." He would allow her freedom as long as it wasn't too horrendous, and if it got him his deal.

Huh.

Maybe he'd been spending too much time with Megatron.

Oh well. Seems they'd both taught each other a thing or true. Grew a little bit as well.

"Then yes. I will play nice." She relented, but she didn't say she'd do it sober. He didn't need to know that yet though. They'd figure that little detail out soon enough. Just as they'd find out their perfect little city was not so perfect after all.

* * *

Meeting them outside in the hall was the definition of awkward.

She stood quietly behind the medic—well sort of behind, he had his shoulder angled toward her to where he could watch her out of the corner of his optics, he didn't trust her to have his back, he was smart—as the Prime explained the agreement once again.

The red and golden mechs showed no emotion to the outcome, just nodded to their leader and let their optics dart in unison to her. She looked away.

Optimus lengthily explained to her how the rooms would work and that from here on out she was under the twins jurisdiction and that she reported to Jazz's office in the morning to being their agreement.

She had nodded when needed, and hissed when needed, until she sensed them switch to comm links and discuss whatever they felt needed to be said before Sideswipe stepped forward and motioned down the hall to the left tilting his helm for more incentive.

They to would not give her their back, and as much as she hated giving them hers, she simply snorted and started off down the hall the pair of them following her and leaving the Prime and his high ups to watch them stroll down the hallway together tensely and wonder if this was a horrible idea or not.

It could be.

For the notion crossed Jynx more than a few times as they crossed junctions and went down a few staircases—and not a spark crossed her path, something she knew was no accident, they were keeping her away from bots for now—to bolt and see how much damage she could cause before they caught her. She pictured herself slicing through whatever pour spark she came across first and leaving them leaking out their life on the over clean floors while she went on to the next one and the Prime cried himself to recharge over how his plan utterly failed.

She didn't do it though.

For now she would behave. She'd get what she wanted and then she'd gut them all. They had her word for that.

She'd start with the pair of mechs that were silently following her and she wouldn't stop until this place was drowning in energon. If only out of spite. Because they made her see things she didn't want to see ever again.

She was drawn from her thoughts though when Sideswipe told her to turn right and she ended up in a dead in hall on what had to be one of the lowest levels of this compound staring at a doorway.

She tensed at the notion of being cornered, but when Sideswipe slipped by her, a low growl from Sunstreaker reminding her he was there if she so much as moved to touch his brother, she realized that this was their quarters.

In a dead end hallway in one of the lowest levels of the compound.

Either they were glitches or they'd been moved because of her. She didn't know and she didn't care. She just watched as the red mech punched in a code making the door slide back and then walked in flicking on a light. She followed when he moved from the doorway Sunstreaker following her in. She was greeted by a curious sight.

The room itself was large, open, full of life.

There was no hastily created hole in the basement. These mechs had been here for a while. The room itself was a pale grey, neutral, but somehow fitting. There were fluffy black rugs sprawled out before a large black couch and a huge vid screen hanging on the wall that housed the door. To the right wall there was a_ huge _bunk pressed to the wall. Games systems and controls as well as little mechanical looking things sprawled everywhere on the couch side of the room while on the side with the berth there was a painting isle leaning in the other corner beside a neat desk with datapads stacked neatly and a few art supplies stuck in holders.

Not a thing out of place.

She cringed at it.

Then her optics darted to the left wall that was home to another door.

Sideswipe walked to it without a word while Sunstreaker entered the room shutting and locking the door behind him.

Jynx wound a little tighter when she realized she was locked in a room with the glitches, but when it came down to it she knew they were under the orders of Prime. If she kept her claws to herself so would they. They held their high and mighty leader in too grand of respects to go against his word, and Jynx held the chance of gutting Ground members to highly on her 'things to do before I die' list to ruin the chance now.

She still hated them with everything inside her spark, but she'd done worse things to get what she wanted.

This wasn't really her first time playing this game.

When the red mech keyed in another code to that door it slid open and he stuck in a hand flipping on a light, but he did not enter. He just crossed his arms and leaned against the wall watching Jynx watch him while Sunstreaker brooded behind her.

She glanced into the room and saw that it wasn't much bigger then a ten by ten square, with a plane berth and a lamp on a tiny stand.

Her quarters were a renovated closet.

Fun.

Oh well.

She'd lived in worse.

At least there was power and a berth to recharge in. Not that she'd be doing a lot of it probably. Not with her processor like this anyway.

"This is your room." Sideswipe told her lightly, his tone laid back and easy. He seemed a little wound tight, but he hid it well. Jynx was impressed.

"It's a closet." She stated.

"Be glad you're not recharging on the floor." Sunstreaker growled behind her.

She glared over her shoulder at him hissing under her breath.

He scowled right back not at all afraid of the little femme.

She wanted to change that, but she knew she couldn't.

"We will lock the door behind you, and there's no way in no way out until we open it again in the morning." Sideswipe went on. "Understand?"

"Awe," She whined. "So I can't cut out your vocal processors while you recharge?"

He smirked. "Nope."

"No fun." She sneered.

"Well life is slag sometimes." He countered.

He had a point.

"In the morning we'll take you to Jazz and then I guess we'll see where things go from there." Sideswipe went on, seeming to do all the talking because Sunstreaker just wanted to stand behind her and glare daggers into her soul. He might as well go on. There was no soul there for him to glare at.

"Alright," She started forward across the room careful to make no sudden movements while she walked pass the red mech and into the room she would now call her own. Turning back around she met the pair of mirror blue optics before Sideswipe spoke again.

"You're stuck with us now, Wild Cat." There was that name again. She tilted her helm at it unsure of why he was calling her that, but not wanting to give him the satisfaction of knowing she wondered about it. "So how about we try and get along? It'll make all our lives easier."

She held back the need to snort.

Catching sight of the close command for the door on her side, seemed she could lock it from this side she just couldn't unlock it—they probably had an override for though so it wouldn't matter—she smirked back to the crimson mech and his glitchy golden brother that seemed to only be able to snarl.

"You're a pair of curses." She grinned and then slammed her palm into the lock effectively slamming the sliding door in their faceplates.

Yeah, this deal was going to work out swell.

* * *

**Well that was fun.  
**

**Jynx, hate to break it to you femme, but that is not how you make friends.**

**I think I enjoyed this chapter a little too much. Oh well. **

**Lots of you guys figured she wasn't going to handle finding out who her where escorts were very well. Ya'll were very right. I can't wait to hear what you think of this chapter. All of you who review are amazing and know that I love you. I'm trying to reply to them all and I want you to know how important they are too me. So thanks! **

**Next chapter will hopefully be up next weekend. See you then!**

**-Jay**


	5. The Price of Playing Nice

**Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers. Just the plot and the crazy OCs.**

** Okay so you guys are amazing. Thank you, thank you for the reviews. They mean a lot.**

**Now onto this chapter. I'm not even sure if warnings are needed for this story because as you guys have probably guessed by now Jynx makes bad decisions. Lots and lots of bad decisions. And she will keep on doing that for a good long while. However, that is the way her story goes. So yeah. I guess if you guys want me to put warnings on the chapters you'll have to tell me, though that would get very complicated very fast. **

**I guess we'll just see how you guys like this chapter. It took me a while to get it the way I wanted it and there are still a few parts I'm not overly thrilled with, but its one of those chapters that we have to be here before we can get there. So yeah. Anyway, enough of my ramblings. Go enjoy Jynx and all her craziness. **

* * *

Chapter 5

The Price of Playing Nice

In hindsight, she should have thought this through better.

Really.

What had she thought was going to happen?

Honestly, she wasn't even sure at this point anymore.

Sitting cross legged on a plain berth in a dim room scratching at a weld on her leg Jynx shook her helm at her own stupidly. She'd done some glitched up things in her time, but this one really took the energon cake.

All that had been thrown to the forefront of her processor and she thought she could recharge without a dose.

Damn.

She was a freaking idiot.

She didn't even have her normal stash in subspace for emergencies. She hadn't grabbed any when she left the motel and headed for Greaseslick's, she'd been planning on being back before she'd need to recharge again.

But that . . . hadn't really panned out.

She let out a tired breath.

Grease was dead. They only mech in forty something vorns that had been stupid enough to trust her was dead.

Big shocker there.

Shaking her helm she dug a little harder into the weld on her leg until the nanites fled the pressure as she pushed hard enough to break the weld and draw energon. The sight of the bubbling blue liquid calmed her a bit. It was present.

And present pain was better than past pain.

Yet here she was. Thinking about the past. She should have been smarter than that too.

She should be a lot of things and here was not one of them.

But it didn't matter now. As stupid as all this was probably going to turn out to be she was going to sit right here and deal with it because if she didn't then she might as well just shoot herself in the processor.

She'd never beat the Ground or their Master alone.

Her debt would come due and she wouldn't be able to pay.

A debt . . . that wasn't even hers to pay in the first place.

She hadn't been the one that was stupid enough to try and con her way out a debt to the Ground in the first place.

Ars—

No.

Digging her claws into her leg she hissed to herself and the dark wall across from her. She hadn't let herself think that name in over forty vorns and she wasn't about to start now.

Laying back and curling into a ball she glared through the dark glass of her visor to the door that held her here. She knew very well recharge would not be finding her tonight, she would not allow it. She was tired and she was hungry, but she would not be lost in her own memories with no way to pull herself back out of them again.

No, it was just better if she found herself a dose before she tried for something as dangerous as recharge. The question was where was she going to find that dose. There were plenty of places in the Prime's _perfect _city to find what it was she was after, but the problem there was how was she going to get out to get it.

They weren't going to let her have free range—or at least enough to get herself something to recharge on—at all as long as she kept up what she'd done earlier. At that notion a growl worked its way through her chest.

This was all those damn twins fault.

A shiver ran through her.

_Twins . . . ._

She shook her helm against the flat pillow at the top of her berth that she refused to believe she was strangling slightly in her own clawed hand that was clutched tightly into the old fabric. Primus sure did have a fragged up sense of humor. All these vorns and she ends up locked away in the Prime's palace with a curse on the other side of her door.

It wasn't really the way she figured she was going to go out.

Far less dramatic.

There wasn't even any relatively big explosions.

Quite frankly, she was disappointed.

She really kind of wanted fireworks.

But oh well, right now she had other things to worry about. Like how she was going to convince the Prime she'd behave long enough to get herself a dose so that she could get these damn memories out of her processor.

It would be a whole new definition of playing nice.

She wouldn't be able to threaten let alone _kill _anybot!

Damn.

This was going to completely ruin her reputation.

But then again, she'd only have to do it long enough to find herself a dealer inside these golden gates and then make a deal with them. She'd have what she wanted and could hiss and scratch all she wanted then.

That wasn't going to change her deal with the Prime though. She was still going to have to play by his rules to kill the Underground. However, she wasn't going to be able to do that with all of this in her helm.

No.

The Prime was just going to have to figure out that a sober Jynx was of no use to him. She'd have her drugs or he'd have nothing at all.

A flash of purple ran across her processor and she whimpered despite herself curling into an even tighter ball. She wasn't going to last long like this.

When the twins fetched her in the morning they'd take her to Jazz and she would play along to get what she wanted.

Wiggling deeper into the berth she gazed into the dim darkness around her. It was going to be a long night. Taking a deep breath she sighed to the black visor so much like her own that burned in the back of her processor making tears prickle the edges of her optics.

"You'd be laughing at me now." She whispered out, but he didn't answer. He never did; not anymore. She was only talking to her own ghosts.

* * *

The knock on her door didn't come early enough. Rolling over to glare through her pitch black visor to the grey sliding surface as knuckles beat against it again Jynx huffed.

Knocking?

They were ones that had it locked. She couldn't open it unless they did. What was the point of knocking?

"You awake in there, Wild Cat?" It was the red one asking what had to be the stupidest question in the known universe.

Was she awake?

Like she could have fraggin' recharged if she wanted too.

But she had to remind herself that they didn't know that. They couldn't know that. They'd just send her to medic if they thought something was wrong with her. She wasn't ready to deal with trying to lie around this. Besides, the medic had seen her too much as is. Sooner or later he was going to see something that she wouldn't be able to handle being brought to her attention again.

There was a reason she hadn't looked at her own protoform since she was grown.

There were things that just didn't need to be seen. Feeling them every orn for the rest of her life was enough. She didn't need to see them too.

"Wild Cat?" His voice came again.

"Wake up, femme!" Well the golden one sounded oh so pleased to be here this morning. "I'm not standing around waiting on you and your fraggin' beauty rest!"

She snorted. "You'd know all about that wouldn't ya, pretty mech?"

A snarl was her response, but she didn't much care for his attitude when she couldn't combat it and still get what she wanted. He was not going to make playing this part easy she knew that for sure. She was just going to have to keep reminding herself that sober was far worse than snarling curses that reminded her of too much.

If she could get herself a dose—more if she could pull it off—then she wouldn't have to remember anything.

_Nothing. _She nodded curtly to herself. _ Just play nice . . . you can do that._

There was another bang. "If you don't unlock it from you're fraggin' side I'll bust the whole wall down you glitch!"

Rolling her optics she pushed herself from her berth and strolled toward the door. Raising a hand to the padlock to switch the button on top with the words lock, unlock flashing on the blue screen beside it. In fact she was about to push it before she paused.

Wait.

They couldn't open the door if it was locked on her side?

Huh.

That was something to remember for later.

But why? She was the prisoner. She shouldn't be able to lock them out. It didn't work that way.

And then it accrued to her. She was a femme half the size of these two mechs living in a room attached to theirs. This was the Prime's doing. Trying to prove that he meant what he said about not wanting to harm her. Even if it meant protecting her from his own mechs.

Not like she needed his help.

They could try it.

They wouldn't make it very far.

Her claws twitched at that as she refused to let her far to clear processor tell her that if it came right down to it the two of them were big enough to probably make her do whatever they wanted. She was skilled, she fought dirty, and she knew how to handle herself in a fight but she wasn't stupid either and past memories . . . .

Well . . . they died hard.

Shaking her helm to clear it she let out a hiss at her own weakness before pushing the button watching as the door slid back. She was greeted by the sight of the two imposing forces of red and gold and mirror vivid blue optics. She simply glared at them in return.

One for the golden ones scowl and two for the red ones stupid grin.

"Morning, Wild Cat!" He greeted with a mocking wave.

He wasn't going to drop the nickname, was he?

"Recharge well?"

"Rust in pit." She hissed out quietly—playing nice was going swell so far—before sliding between his crimson self and the door so that she could feel less like she was back into a whole with them in front of her. Sideswipe made no move to block her path or anything like it. Didn't even respond to her comment.

He and Sunstreaker just turned to watch her walk to the center of their room and stand there with her arms crossed over her chest as she glared to the far wall. She was on edge. Both frontliners could feel it. Though that wasn't much of a surprise seeing as how their last encounter went down, and yet she was oddly . . . calm.

Sideswipe wasn't sure what to make of that. Sunstreaker didn't care.

The little white femme just stood there in the middle of their room staring at nothing. Because Jynx didn't know what else to do.

Fighting would get her nothing but more long nights of seeing his faceplate in every shadow or trick of the light.

Since she was pretty sure her pathetically comical grip on sanity couldn't take another night of seeing him and hearing him laugh through all the other horrors that danced in her memories she needed them to think she would behave. Just long enough for her to work her magic.

She'd been a fool to think she could handle standing in the same room with twins sober.

However, in all her mental preparing for not being her less then sane self just long enough to get a big enough dose of Cyber-Narcotics to tide her over for a while she didn't plan on her tanks to rumble in the empty silence.

Or for it to make her squeak in surprise glancing back to the pair of mechs when Sideswipe chuckled.

"What do you know," He teased with guarded optics. "She's a real living, breathing, eating Cybertronian after all."

Jynx glared through her visor.

Sunstreaker scowled at her.

Her claws twitched.

The frontliner tensed.

Sideswipe slowly stepped between them. "Hey now . . . none of us are all that fond of each other—"

"I hate her fraggin' guts." Sunstreaker corrected his twin in a deep, rumbling growl.

Jynx let her fangs flash as she responded. "I hope your paint nanites catch a virus and you turn pink."

He lunged forward only to have Sideswipe catch him and haul him back as he snarled down at the little white thing while his twin held back a chuckle. Seems it hadn't taken the femme long to figure out the quickest way to piss Sunstreaker off was either insult or scratch his paint. It was second on his list of reasons to 'kill until death' only to somebot hurting Sides; which Jynx had managed to do both of in the short time they'd known her.

In fact the only reason the femme was still breathing was because Sunstreaker respected Optimus and Ratchet too much to go against what they said. She was seriously trying his patience though, and since he didn't have any—Sides seemed to have gotten all that out of the deal . . . and even he really didn't have that much—she was walking a tight rope now.

The golden mech really did want to kill her, it was all he could think about last night, but as much as he _and _Sideswipe hated her they hated seeing disappointment in Ratchet's optics far more. They owed that grumpy old medic more than they would ever be able to pay back so they went out of their way most times trying to prove to him they hadn't forgotten all he had done to save them over the vorns.

And so he stood there letting his twin push him back until he was convinced he would stay put and settled for glaring at the glitch. That self satisfied smirk she wore was enough to make him forget all about Optimus and Ratchet and just skin her though.

The only thing that kept him from doing it was Sides' hand on his chest which he swatted away with a growl, but he stayed where he was.

"You're supposed to take me to that glitched spy, aren't you?" Jynx mumbled, turning from the pair and the inner connection between them she could practically _see_. It made her want to purge. If she'd had anything in her tanks she just might, but she didn't so just refused to look at them.

They would probably take it as she was disgusted by 'abominations', but the truth was.

It just hurt too much.

"Yep," Sides nodded while he strolled forward, giving her a wide girth to know where he was and where he was head like a spooked feline, as he headed for the door Sunstreaker staying back so that they could keep her between them. He could already feel his twin's idea and he wasn't thrilled about it, but he was right. The femme needed something to eat before she crashed or something—Ratchet would beat them if he had to fix her again—so Sides' idea really was the only option. "But we'll get you some energon first."

A little confused by the words, Jynx watched the red mech open the door and step into the hall looking back at her as if waiting. She realized he kind of was. So with a quick glance to the golden mech who stood behind her waiting for her to go first his optics narrow and his scowl set in stone she let out a tired breath and walked after the red warrior. Stepping into the stupid colored hall she kept a few feet between herself and the mech as Sunstreaker followed her locking the door behind him as Sides grinned brightly prancing off down the hallway not at all worried about the psychopath left to follow after him.

It wasn't the first time he'd turned his back to a psycho and it wouldn't be the last.

Jynx found herself far less likely to start shaking near the red mech then she was the golden one that wouldn't stop glaring at her so she followed after Sideswipe staying just a few paces behind while Sunstreaker did the same to her and they headed back the way they had come last night.

A part of Jynx was always live inside her processor, learning paths and find escape routes. It was something she didn't even realize she did, but everywhere she went she found every possible way to get herself out. One of those hard learned lessons that she couldn't stop herself from doing now.

In her world only a fool didn't know multiple ways out of whatever they got themselves into. She kept herself a move ahead at all times without really knowing she did it. It was just there had been too many times when she found herself backed to a wall with no way out that she just _couldn't _go through it anymore.

So, she learned.

She watched and she listened. Knowing a back way out of everything she did. Even what she was doing now.

If she really had to do it she was more than sure she could out run these stupid Enforcers and leave New Iacon in her dust.

She could do it.

She knew she could.

And she leave a dripping trail of energon behind her.

For now though she settle for learning the path back and forth to her new living quarters and watching her sparkling sitters as they brought her from the undergrounds of the complex and up into the higher levels to where she could hear the world come to life around her.

She had already figured out they were taking some back staircases, and less traveled hallways. They were trying to keep her out of the public optic. There was no telling how many civilians walked the Prime's headquarters. His staff and soldiers were everywhere she was aware of that.

It seemed though that they were trying to keep her away from both parties.

Her interest spiked as they finally left the stairwell and Sideswipe held the door as she walked out into a plain grey hall that not a soul walked down. The twins shut the door behind them Sideswipe coming around her again, this time keeping her at his left while Sunstreaker took the right and the red mech's black audio horns tilted with his helm to nudge her forward.

Her black visor flashed with mischief at the idea of them trying to keep her a secret. They Prime probably worried what his precious city would think of him when they learned he was working with one of the monsters from the desert sands.

It made her want to prance before the media and stick out her tongue just to taught him.

Wouldn't that be fun?

Make his pretty perfect city shiver in their berths when they found out who was on the inside of those golden gates.

Like she was the worst thing here.

It made her want to throw her helm back in laughter.

Her?

The worst thing inside these gates?

She suppressed the urge to snort.

They two bots that tore Cybertron apart where here; and she was the worst one here?

Bots as twisted and dark as anything out the desert, because they were from the desert, were here; and she was the worst one here?

The Labyrinth and everything that went along with it had a stretch of tunnel that ran right under this stupid _perfect _pit hole; and _she _was the worst thing here!?

Maybe she should be flattered that they really thought that.

Really though, it just pissed her off.

Treating her like a static-hound on a leash and they let the Ground run lose in their city.

She was crazy, sadistic, and cruel . . . but she wasn't the Underground. She could never be those bots.

She was a monster; they were an energon business.

And that would always be the difference.

"You know," She finally spoke up trying to shake herself from the thoughts that were taking her places she didn't need to go without the ability to forget. "I figured the Prime's palace would have more bots in it than this."

Sunstreaker snorted to her side. "You're not in the Prime's palace."

"He doesn't have a palace." Sides added. "He has a house."

She gasped in fake horror. Very fake horror.

Slapping a clawed hand over her gasping mouth she turned as she walked to stare at the red mech through wide optics even if he couldn't see them behind the blackness of her visor. "They almighty ruler of our world does not have a palace as he just deserves! Say it ain't so!"

"Ha-ha, you're hilarious." Sunstreaker grumbled.

She spun on him. "The utter blasphemy of it all!"

Sideswipe couldn't stop the snort that came out at that, Jynx grinned in mischief, Sunstreaker cast him a glare that had him whipping the grin of his faceplate.

Instead of laughing he turned his attention to the little thing walking between them. In all realty she hardly reached the bottom of his or Sunny's chests. She really was half their size and yet she had managed to actually hurt both of them.

It fascinated him.

But not as much as her speaking to them did.

He still hated her for what she had said and done, but this was strange to him. If she hated them so fraggin' much for being what they were why was she bothering to speak with them?

Why not just wait until they took her to Jazz?

She could sass as many things out of him as she could them.

Then there was the other thing he had noticed while she stood there in their room this morning. Hardly any smart remarks and she didn't try to slice into them once. She'd baited Sunstreaker, but that wasn't hard, and at this point Sunny was still mad enough that her breathing pissed him off so that really wasn't all that hard of a thing to accomplish now.

What had him wondering about her as they took her through the back halls to the least visited mess hall the whole compound had—it was the first one they built, being one of the structures everything else was built around, so it was hardly even used anymore—to feed her something he couldn't help but to notice it.

The exhaustion that had seemed to somehow creep into her frame. She wasn't as strung, and at the ready, and it most defiantly wasn't because she was at ease around them. If anything she was even more on edge. He could feel it in the air around her. Her energy field having no control on little things like what others could sense, especially others that had been learning to read others since they woke up down there in those cages all those vorns ago.

Sideswipe was very aware she wanted to be as far away from the two of them as she could possibly get herself. He just wasn't sure why, and he planned on finding out, for now though he just wondered why she looked so tired.

So . . . defeated almost.

It was like when Optimus had gotten a hold of her. All the fire just sizzled out.

He didn't know how to take it.

So he decided to play along with her game. Maybe he could get her back to spewing insults at them. At least that he and Sunstreaker knew how the handle. The quiet creature waiting to do as she was told that had stood in the middle of their room this morning he didn't know what to do with.

"You know that's kind of funny." Sideswipe lifted an optic ridge making sure his smirk was in full swing. "Coming from you."

Jynx cast him a look that was somehow strong enough he could feel the glare behind that black glass. "What is?"

"Blasphemy." Sides answered.

She tilted her helm in question to Sideswipe as they walked along the empty halls Red Alert had cleared for them before they even got her from her room.

"You don't think it's weird? Talking about things against Primus coming from you."

Her claws balled up into fist making Sunstreaker rumbled deep in his chest in warning to remind her how low her odds were in this hall between the two of them. Sideswipe just kept on smirking at her as she sneered.

"Says the mechs who've killed thousands upon thousands for a cause as broken as Cybertron."

Both the growl and the smirk fell away at that.

"You think Primus would smile on the things you've done? I'm no fool. I know frontliners when I see them. Saw enough of them in the war. Saw what they did."

"Like you're any fraggin' better!" Sunstreaker spit, lashing out and shoving her by her shoulder. Jynx hissed and sprung away from the action, but she made no move other than that to retaliate. She only listened to him rant. "You've murdered countless _innocent _bots because you _could_!"

"And you haven't!?" She hissed out as he seethed, Sideswipe looking between them. "How many neutrals got slaughtered in all of you _Autobots' _damn crossfire!? How many lives did your precious Prime end when he took his resources to space and left us all here to die?! How many _bad mechs _did you _good mechs _kill because they were wearing a different brand then you!? You're no better than I am you fraggin' glitched abomination. They only difference between us is I. Don't. Care!"

With that she brushed past the both of them and strolled toward the smell of cooking energon.

Well, Sideswipe had wanted fire.

* * *

This had to be a joke.

They had to be screwing with her.

This couldn't be right.

_This_ was the mess hall?

_Really_?

"Really?" She huffed, looking over her shoulder to the two mechs before looking back to the twelve by twelve foot room with three tables, four and a half chairs—one was broken and laying in the corner—and a energon dispenser that looked like it came from the dark ages.

They had to be kidding.

"Yep." Sides grinned strolling past her toward the energon in the back. "Nice ain't it?"

_Nice . . . suuuuure. _

"Did you really think Optimus would just let you stroll into the main cafeteria like you belong here?" Sunstreaker snorted.

Jynx shot him a glare.

"You're a prisoner." He glared right back. "A privileged prisoner, but a prisoner all the same."

"I'm also a psychotic glitch." She retorted. "But at least I own up to it."

He snarled moving for her again until Sideswipe cleared his throat across the room sending a strong spark pulse to his twin. It kept Sunstreaker at bay as was its purpose and since Jynx was going for the whole 'play nice' thing she let it go to. Besides, she was hungry. She needed something to eat. So she ignored the idiot in favor of staying as far away from the red one as she could as she went to the other end of the energon dispensers, picked up a cube, and filled it with glittering purple liquid.

Lifting it to her noseplate she took a small sniff. It smelled alright, but she knew just how well some things dissolved in energon never to be noticed again until a bot woke up joors later with no memories of how or why they were where they were.

Sideswipe—who was joined by Sunstreaker at his end of the energon dispenser—watched her out of the corner of his optic as she looked over and sniffed at the energon.

She thought it could be tampered with.

She really thought they might try and poison her or at least drug her.

He had to hold back a snort. Didn't she know that wasn't really the Enforcers' style?

Optimus had said she was safe here; even after all she had said and done, so she was safe here. They weren't going to hurt her. Even if she would hurt them. It made him wonder though. She thought the worse of everything.

Why?

Jynx could feel their optics on her, and it was more because of that that she took a drink more than anything else. The taste surprised her. She'd gotten so use to drinking nothing other than highgrade at Grease's she'd almost forgotten what mid-grade regular energon taste like. It wasn't something anybot hardly bothered to refine out there in the desert. Credits were made on highgrade nothing else. So that was what was worked into a fine taste. Everything else was more like drinking sulfur, and that was if you got lucky. So there really was no point in her world to ever bother tasting regular energon. If it didn't make you purge then it surly would make you do it later.

She'd learned quickly there was no point ever opting for it. Highgrade might be potent out there but at least it wouldn't have you purging up your own inner mechanisms. Besides, 'grade was a lot like CN. It worked wonders on her memories.

This stuff though.

It was . . . good.

Rich and smooth. The mild charge running over her tongue and down her throat.

She'd . . . never had anything like it. The only thing remotely close had been highgrade and even that hadn't been this good. There just hadn't been the resources to refine it well enough for the common bots on the streets where she had spent her free life.

She liked it.

Which was probably why she just placed herself quietly in the chair closest to her and forgot the other two in the room for a bit as she put something on her tanks and just breathed for a little while. She hadn't just breathed in . . . so many vorns.

_"Act's like she's never had energon before." _The words drifted through Sideswipe's spark snapping him from his confused observing of the femme sitting quietly at the table just sipping at the mid-grade. He turned his attention from her to look at Sunstreaker who was watching her though narrow optics as he leaned on the wall behind him sipping at his own breakfast. It reminded the red mech of the drink in his own hand, but he didn't make a move for it yet.

_"It's weird." _Sides replied via their twin bond. _"But then again Sunny . . . The Rings," _

He felt his twin suppress a snarl.

_"The energon was slag. Only decent stuff was highgrade and even that wasn't all that good. Nothing like what the Autobots refined, or what we've got going now. I forgot what real energon tasted like before we ended up in the med bay. She's from the slums, the wild lands. You really think she's had a decently refined meal in a while?"_

Sunstreaker snorted, refusing to comment. Because he knew what it was like to live off highgrade, he knew what it was like to forget what real energon was.

And he refused to feel the slightest bit bad for this femme after all she had said and done. He was not about to go comparing her to what had happened to them, and he would not allow Sideswipe to do it either.

_"She isn't us, Sides." _

_"Far from it." _The red twin smirked at him sending a warm pulse over the bond only to get shoved mentally for it in return. Sunstreaker was not in a 'huggable' mood. _"But . . . maybe at the same time she's not all that different then what we use to be before somebot gave us a shot."_

He might have been right, but Sunstreaker was not going to admit to it now.

_"She called us abominations, a _curse_!" _He snarled.

Sides shrugged. _"Ever let it bother you before?"_

_"Oh shut up and drink you're energon! I want to get this stupid thing over with."_

_"What?" _Sideswipe chuckled. _"The rest of our foreseeable future?" _

_"I'm gonna slug you." _

"What are your enforced rations?" Both mechs stalled in the conversation that was about to become a playful brawl when the little femme spoke up making them both turn to find her staring down into the bottom of her now empty energon cube.

Jynx refused to look at them.

Absolutely refused.

She _couldn't _believe she was doing this! What the frag was wrong with her!? She was glitched not some fraggin' pity case! How in the energon soaked depths of pit was she sitting there in a chair asking these two what she was about to ask them!?

HOW WAS THIS HAPPENING!?

Why in pit was she letting herself ask this!?

Her tanks rumbled loudly making her squeeze her arms tightly around herself trying to stop the sound from coming out, but she knew the sharp audios across the room could hear it all the same.

Oh yeah.

That was why.

That wonderful tasting miracle of Primus had reminded her just how long it had been since she'd had a decent meal. It reminded her of how long it had been since she tasted something that would just fuel her with nutrients and not stress her systems though having to process highgrade as normal fuel.

And sadly, it had reminded her of how she couldn't remember . . . _ever _. . . having normal energon that tasted that good.

Ever.

Damn.

She was fraggin' pathetic.

She really needed to gut something. Make somebot scream. Rip out a few optics or sparks.

Just something to make her feel normal again!

"Umm . . . what?" Sideswipe questioned taking a small step toward her slightly confused. Ration? What was she talking about? They hadn't rationed since the war ended. Since they all came home.

She felt like an idiot, but she sucked it up and twisted her helm to hold his optics with her visor. "Your energon rations, moron." It was easier to insult him then think she was asking something of him. "What are your energon rations?"

Sideswipe blinked before turning a glance to his brother who was still standing there scowling as per usual though this time his vivid blue optics stared across the room to the femme in almost curiosity. Maybe that was why he bothered to answer her.

"We don't ration energon."

The shock that flashed through optics must have been quite a lot because they saw the flash even through the dark glass.

"You don't?"

"No," Sunstreaker replied.

"Haven't in a while." Sideswipe added. "Long while. Since the war ended and we built the territory."

Jynx looked down at the table below her.

They didn't have to ration energon? They had enough energon to keep this whole giant palace and city running without having to ration it? How . . . ?

And then she wanted to smack herself in the forehelm.

Of course they didn't have to ration it. They had all they wanted. The damn Prime and his precious perfectness. The energon was in Cybertron for the taking, getting it wasn't the hard part. The hard part was refining it. That was what took credits and time and resources. All things the Prime had in multitudes.

All things that were fought and died over where Jynx came from.

The untamed lands didn't have refiners. The Underground had one—somewhere—and there was usually one small outlet in ever town the Ground fueled. It was why the Ground owed and ruled the rebels and everybot that didn't slink into the Prime's gates.

They controlled the energon. Selling it out to barkeeps in the each city, just enough to turn a bit of a profit to keep bots interested and keep others coming around to get it, but it was guarded and rationed by penalty of a very slow death. Even her, who had followed Greaseslick around like a turbo-pup hadn't been able to get more then was rationed. She'd been living off of bad highgrade skimped and weaseled when she could, because Grease couldn't give it out without getting paid for it. He turned almost all of what he made back into the Ground that worked the village.

He had never been able to feed her without her having some way to pay him back, and since Grease would only take her credits and nothing else from her it had been an interesting dance stealing and making enough out of every other equally broke stupid fool in that damn place she had loved so much to buy her own dinner while they were trying to do the same.

That was why the concept of it not being rationed was so foreign to Jynx.

She understood how the Prime was able to do it, but she didn't really know what to make of it herself.

"You can have as much as you want." Sideswipe told her carefully.

As much as she wanted?

No bot had ever said that to her before.

". . . okay." She said softly, pushing herself back her clawed peds and walking to the energon dispenser to get another cube without looking at the two mechs before she placed herself back in the chair and went to sipping again. She didn't know what else she was supposed to do.

It surprised her enough to have her jumping in her chair when the red twin sat down in the chair across from her. He didn't say anything at first. Just sat there across from her looking into her visor as if searching for the truth that was hidden so well behind it until Jynx hissed low and under her breath at him. Sides didn't even flinch though.

Just tipped his own cube to his lips and took a long drag before setting it back down and lifting an optic ridge at her. "Why would we ration it?"

"Go jump in a smelter." She was _not _justifying herself to him.

He just smirked. "There's not a smelting pool in a thousand mile radius of here. Sorry, can't do that for you."

"Shame." She replied before taking another few quick sips of the energon trying to pretend that he wasn't there. It was easier to pretend he wasn't there.

Seems he wasn't going to give her that mercy though and she shouldn't have been surprised.

"It's been a long time since you had any decent energon hasn't it?" He pressed quietly as if thinking if he was quiet she was less likely to hate him for the simple, honest, almost concerned question.

Maybe that was why it hit her so wrong.

Maybe that was why it sent a dark chill down her backstrut making the coil inside her spring loose.

She'd moved before she even realized she'd done it. One klick she was sitting still before him and next she wasn't. It was a simple flick of the wrist really, nothing harsh. Just spiteful and angry. She just bolted to her peds with a hiss and the mech in front of her was covered in mid-charge energon blinking in shock.

Jynx didn't give him a real moment to process the fact that she'd just tossed her cube into his faceplate though, nor did she even care that the golden was had closed the distance between her and his twin.

She just leaned threateningly over the small round table to hiss out through clenched teeth to the mech across from her, her visor so dark he could see himself in the glass and her frame so tense she was digging grooves into the table with her claws.

"Don't pretend that you know me." She whispered out in a tone that would have made a lesser mech's armor crawl. "You don't know _anything _about me. And you never will!"

* * *

Sitting cross legged in the chair across from Jazz's desk Jynx stared blankly at the wall behind the silver mech, or more accurately she was staring out the window on that wall that let in the light of the burning sun outside and showed the bubbling life of a crowded courtyard.

Movement, and color, and sound, and _life_.

Her claws itched for it.

To swirl it into chaos.

To shatter that happy picture like the glass it was made out of and leave it on the ground to melt into nothing under the sun.

Her sensors were tucked so tight to her helm that they actually ached with how tightly she was trying to keep them down. She didn't want to hear, see, or smell what they would helped her be able to. She didn't want to know any of it. She just wanted to destroy all of it.

Because it was perfect.

Because it was happy.

Because it was all a lie.

"You know," Jazz said from the other side of his desk drawing Jynx's optics back to him. "I'd ask how you're morning was going, but I think I know."

She just snorted, looking back out the window in favor of ignoring him.

Her plan from this morning was looking far too out of her grasp now. The notion had her suppressing the shiver that had set into her claws that were clenched in her lap.

It was only the silver ex-Con's sigh that made Jynx bother to look his way again.

"This won't work if you don't want it too, Jynx." He told her sternly.

She sneered at him. "I agreed to work with you, not spill my guts to your kept curses."

"Oh believe you me." Jazz narrowed his optic behind his visor. "You keep up the game ya playing now and they'll do all the _gut spilling _for ya. And it will be yours."

"They don't scare me." She retorted, aware of the pair standing outside the open door behind him. It appeared Prime's rule of nobot allowed alone with her applied even to Jazz, but the saboteur seemed to find the prospect of being scared of her to be downright funny—Jynx really wanted to peal his armor off slowly for that—so he dismissed them to the hall which seemed to suit them just fine. They were well pass their gut fill of her for the orn and it wasn't even mid orn yet.

That was fine by her.

She was pretty sure she couldn't take much more of them either. Not with as clear as she was thinking.

Damn she needed out of this office and into a dirty dark alley soon or she was going to go on a killing spree.

"They should." Jazz shot back. "We all should."

"Well you don't."

To that Jazz just shook his helm. "Well I'm not talking business with you when all you want to do is terrorize the terror twins, so I guess you can sulk in your room for the rest of orn until you decide you want to actually behave like a reasonable bot and not pour energon all over others like a spoiled brat."

And Jynx paled.

Back to her room?

No.

She had to get out of this compound and out on the streets.

At least to get the chance to slip away and find what she needed. She'd come back. She just needed something to make that sneer get out of her helm.

Jazz noticed the energon leave the planes of her cheeks, but he didn't comment.

"What do you want from me, mech?" She sighed. "You haven't told me a single thing you know. You haven't done anything but lock me up and drag me around like a turbo-pup on a leash. I didn't agree to be a prisoner. I want out of these damn back halls."

"Oh?" Jazz snorted. "Why's that?"

Time to think fast.

Well when in doubt; lie.

"I want to know if a rumor I heard a while back is true."

She could see the interest spike in that blue visor. "Oh and what rumor is that?"

"Yeah right." She sneered. "I'll see for myself and then you'll find out."

"Not how it works, sweetspark."

"Then tell me how it works, ex-Con." She hissed. "I sit here in this chair every orn for who knows how long and tell you every deep dark secret I know? Well that's not going to work. Much of the Ground is secret even to those that are inside it. Things are rumors until you see them for yourself. And if this little plan of Prime's is going to start off on any kind of good note I want to see if what I heard in Pax Tran is true."

Jazz leaned forward until he was leaning across his desk. "I haven't even told you the plan Optimus has for this to work and you want me to let you loose to chase a rumor on the streets where you could slaughter a whole block before we might be able to stop you?"

She snorted. "If I wanted to slaughter them they'd be dead."

Well that wasn't true.

She did want to slaughter them all, but right now her need for a dose was far stronger then her want of energon on her claws.

Jazz tilted his helm at her. "For some reason I believe that."

"I'm a murderer not a liar."

Most times.

She could hear the snort from the hallway, not sure if it was from the golden one or the red one, but she didn't really care at this point. She just wanted the chance to vanish.

It was what she was good at.

She just needed the chance.

"So what is it you want, Jynx?" The saboteur asked.

"I need to see the streets."

"You think I'll let you out of this compound?" He snorted out a laugh.

Time to work their positive notions of being able to keep a leash on her. "Please. With dumb and dumber out there you really think I'd get far before they caught me?"

There was a snarl from the hall, but Jynx just used it to her advantage.

"See? They hate me. They're not going to let me out of their sight. And I know it's too much to see the inner works of this place. You're all worried about your precious little secrets. Truth is I don't give a damn about them. All I want is helms rolling under my peds, and you're giving me the chance. If you think I'm going to screw that up your more glitched then I am. I hated my sparkling sitters. I hate all of you. I hate you're perfect city. I hate everything about everything in this stupid place, but I hate the Underground more. So here I am _trying _to behave by your rules and do what you're perfect Prime wants me to be. The problem is I'm not sane, mech. I'm not nice, I'm not good, and I don't _want _to be. Because that isn't going to get ya what ya want. Only me and _everything _that is wrong with me is going to get you what you want. So it's in ya court ex-Con. Lock me back in my room and let them go on crawling under your streets or let me take a look and we can get this deal on the road."

* * *

The buzz of his comm link startled Optimus from his musing over the sprawled out digi map on the large table before him. He had been listening carefully to Ironhide's report of what his patrol had scouted as they waited from the call from Bumblebee and his party out in Kaon to come in.

Holding up a hand to pause his old friend as he highlighted a section of map to show where the patrol had come under fire. Ironhide's deep blue optics met his as he came to an abrupt halt, Megatron, Prowl, Soundwave, and Ultra Magnus looking up to him but he paid them no mind as he opened the link between Jazz and himself.

**"Jazz?" **He questioned.

**"Hey Boss Bot, ya busy?" **He sounded like he was up to something.

**"Nothing that can't wait a moment. How's our guest?" **

**"Well funny you should ask that. This is about her."**

**"Oh Primus," **He sighed, fighting her urge to pinch the bridge of his noseplate. **"Who did she hurt?"**

**"Hurt?" **Jazz replied. **"Nobot. Well, she dumped energon all over Sideswipe and is testing Sunstreaker's nonexistent patience, but she hasn't hurt anybot."**

Optimus actually paused for a moment.** "Really?"**

**"Yeah. I'm surprised too, but on the bright side Prowl owes me dinner."**

**"Dinner? Why does he owe you dinner?"**

**"He said she'd kill somebot before the twins even got her to my office this morning. I said she wouldn't. He bet me on it. I won."**

Optimus chuckled. **"Mech needs to learn not to bet you, Jazz."**

**"I know." **He could tell the silver mech was smiling. **"After all these vorns ya'd think he'd have figured it out by now."**

**"You'd think." **He agreed. **"But back to Jynx. What did you need?"**

**"She wants to go outside."**

Optimus' processor ground to a halt. For a moment he blinked before narrowing his optics down at the digi map below him. **"Why does she want that?"**

**"She won't tell me." **Jazz answered. **"Big shocker there really. It's something about a rumor she wants to know if is true. She did let something slip though, and it's the only reason I'm considering this."**

**"What's that?"**

**"She said she wants to know if something really is 'crawling under our streets'."**

Optimus felt his spark twist just a bit. **"Under our streets?"**

**"Yep."**

**"As in the Labyrinth?"**

**"Might be." **Jazz said. **"She doesn't seem to know, and I'm not sure how she'd find out, but she refuses to do anything else before she knows that."**

**"There are no tunnels under this city."**

**"That we know of, but we don't know a lot of things, Optimus."**

He had a point.

**"I know." **He grumbled before taking a deep breath. **"You think it's a good idea to let her out of the compound?"**

**"No."**He answered. **"But there's something off about her, Optimus. This is not the femme from earlier. She's more like she was when you first got hold of her. She's almost afraid of something. She thinks I can't tell, but I've made a life out of reading faceplates as you well know. She might be afraid of what's under her peds and if she is I don't think that's something we should ignore."**

**"No, you're right." **Optimus chewed on the thought of letting her outside the walls of his compound and into the streets. **"We need to know what she thinks it might be. But how do we know she won't go on a killing spree or just disappear?"**

**"We don't, but the twins will be with her. Optimus, this was your idea it's your call, but if this is going to work we have to get the ball rolling. Showing her we'll give her the freedom to go outside that just might be the push we need to get somewhere." **

It was taking a chance just like this whole thing was and it might come back to bite him, but Jazz was right.

It was a chance he was going to have to take so that maybe in a few orns the little white femme would be standing at the other end of this map from him showing him how to stop his bots from getting slaughtered in the sand.

**"Let her go."**

* * *

They weren't happy about this, well Sunstreaker wasn't, Sideswipe was just kind of staring at Jazz like he was a fool as they rode the elevator together to the main floor and the door that would take her out of this glittering gated pit.

Jynx didn't bother caring about any of them though. Her processor was on a one-way loop that left her fighting back shivers. She could practically see what she wanted, and she'd have it soon.

Very soon.

Even if she had to find a way to ditch these two glitched curses. She'd find a way to get what she needed, and while she was at it she'd find out if that fool at the bar had been right a few decacycles ago. She needed to know what was under her peds for fact. She knew for a fact there was darkness in their pretty city and that it wouldn't be hard to find. The only question in her processor was how bad was it.

Was it like Pax Tran and they didn't know it or something else?

And the real underlying question was—because she knew there were tunnels down there—was who was running this section? Would it be somebot she could handle on her own or . . . not?

It was going to be interesting to see what she would find in those alleyways when nobot was looking.

The 'ding' of the elevator had her visor flashing as the door before her slid open, but her excitement died a little at the sight of the Prime standing with his arms crossed on the other side.

"Afternoon, Jynx." He greeted.

She glared.

"Come on femme," Sunstreaker grumbled, lightly pushing her—she only allowed it because she could see sunlight beaming on the other side of that massive red and blue bots shoulders—out of the elevator to stand before the Prime as Sideswipe and Jazz slipped out as well.

Tilting her chin up to gaze into the faceplate of the Prime keeping her visor dark and her expression guarded she waited. The front entrance of The Enforcer Headquarters in all of its spiraling walls of one-way glass towering to the sky truly wasn't somewhere Jynx ever figured she'd end up. Yet here she was. In a grand open expanse of glittering dark windows filtering the light, pearl white tiles, a rainbows assortment of colors in paint, drapes, and one reception desk to the far right. There were a few bots wondering about. A few brightly painted mechs and a femme at the desk, but with one look her way they looked away again. Either they didn't know who she was or the Prime had already told them to ignore her.

For now she didn't care.

Her processor was one track right now. It wanted CN and it wasn't going to think about anything else until she got it. Which was probably why she just turned her attention back to the Prime without any fuse. She just wanted out on the streets. She wanted the world she knew how to handle.

As dirty and disgusting as it was.

It was the world she loved.

"I hear you want to go outside." Optimus went on.

"There's scrap-rats in your streets." She replied, and loved watching how his blue optics narrowed.

"You don't say?"

She grinned.

"This is a bad idea, Boss Bot." Sunstreaker rumbled.

"Too bad it's your only idea." She retorted.

He scowled down at her, fingers tensing into a fist, but Jynx ignored him watching only the Prime.

"You know," Optimus sighed as he stared down at the little white femme. "I'm not positive you won't vanish."

"That's probably pretty smart." She shrugged.

"So why should I let you outside again?"

"Because I know things you don't. Which is kind of the reason I'm here in the first place, isn't it?"

The Prime smiled ever so slightly. "Yes."

"So will you move your large aft and let me go have some fun with the locals?"

Sideswipe snorted out a laugh only to have Sunstreaker smack him in the back of the helm.

"Oww!" The red mech cried out.

"Shut your trap."

Once again Jynx ignored them. It was ignore them or kill them and right now she didn't even have the patience for that.

Damn. She needed a fraggin' dose.

"Mechs," Jazz sighed. "Think you can not kill each other long enough to keep your guest in line?"

"They can try." Jynx rolled her optics. They were going to figure out in three blocks just how hard that was going to be.

"I'll see you when you get back, Jynx." Optimus said. "I'd like to have another talk with you."

"Looking forward to it."

Lies, but they didn't know that.

And well they'd figure it out soon enough.

* * *

New Iacon was nothing like she thought it would be. It was worse.

So, so, so, so much worse.

Worse to a level of which she really just wanted to spin around and race back into that dark little hole she'd crawled out of this morning and find something to bore through the side of her helm until her processor was bubbling on the floor. That seemed the better option at the moment. The much better option.

Walking slowly along the bright, crowded, happy, alive, silly, and stupidly idiotic _perfect _long grey stone sidewalks along the paved streets and the assortment of painted metal mixed with stone and glass that ranged from tiny boutiques full of stupid laughing sparklings and creators buying sweets to the towers that stretched to the skies above her. There were homes and shops, restaurants and stores, there were business growing into something Cybertron had long forgotten, there were schools and temples; there was even a stupid balloon vender on the street corner!

It was domestic nonsense and she wanted to fraggin' scream!

She wanted to tear it all down, burn it to the ground, smother it in energon until there was nothing left!

The smiles, the laughter, the happy, the . . . _home_.

It was horrible, and it hurt.

It hurt so much.

She wanted out of this city. She wanted out of these streets.

SHE WANTED OUT OF HER HELM!

She _needed _out of it!

Because she couldn't take this. Not anymore.

And she didn't realize she was almost sprinting around the corner away from the balloons until Sideswipe caught her by the arm and yanked her back to him out of the middle of the street where the blare of a horn and a whirl of red was the only thing she saw of a Transport that almost creamed her.

Gasping for breath as it flew by and she slammed back into the thick red armor. It took a few ragged breaths before she realized where she was too. Standing on a street corner in the middle of New Iacon in all its glittering glory with happy little families living their perfect little lives all around her being held to an Enforcer's—a _twin's_—chest as she struggled to get air through her vents to make her processor unfreeze off the image of purple optics that were burning into her soul.

"What the frag is wrong with you!?" Sideswipe growled down at her only to let the growl fade out when that little helm tilted back and he saw panic flash through that lesser black visor. It wasn't as dark as before, Jynx emotions to high strung to realize she wasn't keeping it dark. And that now he could see the shinning silver of the optics that were hidden behind it.

Along with every ounce of panic they held.

Because Jynx was panicking. There was just no other way to put it. It was Primus honest panic in a situation she didn't know what to do with. She'd run for so long from not having control of everything around her—from where she was, to what she did, to who got to touch her and how much they paid for it—that the moment she was thrust into a world so utterly different from everything she'd ever know and she realized that she couldn't change it because she still needed that _stupid _Prime to kill all those damn bastards that got her here in the first place that she just lost it.

It wasn't even the good kind of lost it. Not the kind that she chased or the thrill of her swirling colors of nothing. Perfect, empty, feeling-less _nothing_.

It was a locked up memory of evil purple optics, red ones that were never going to care, and empty . . . empty red ones that were forever going to stare into her spark—or what was left of it—forever mocking her on how badly she failed.

All of them reminding her that she wasn't in control; she'd never be in control, because she was nothing but a unwanted mistake. A failure.

She was nothing.

She was a half that would never again be whole because she had screwed up. She couldn't save herself, and she was never going to have ever been able to save him. No matter how bad she wanted too. It was just never going to happen.

She was a glitch.

And she was thinking to clearly.

She was too sober.

And that had to change.

"Wild Cat?" The name was spoke softer then he'd ever said it yet and when the golden one caught her before her peds fell out from under her trying to haul her back up she whimpered pulling away from both of them, or at least trying too and hating every fraggin' nano of it. Why couldn't she just gut them?

Why couldn't she just end them and all their stupid twin-ness and be done with it?!

She couldn't though. She knew she wouldn't win. Not like this.

She had to get away.

At that point that was the only option she had left.

She had to find something to make her forget _right fragging now_ or the Prime might as well just shot her where she stood. Because his city was coming down in a blaze of glory that they would be talking about for thousands of vorns.

"Hey, are you okay? Jynx! What's wrong with you?" Sideswipe had no idea what was going on. They weren't eight blocks from the Enforcer's building and she just lost her damn processor. She had stood on the stupid corner and stared at balloons for ten klicks while he and Sunstreaker watched her in complete confusion and then she had just bolted the other direction as if every demon in bit was after her. If he hadn't snatched her when he did she'd be a smear on the pavement and Ratchet would have his helm. Then when he gets a hold of the femme that refuses to be touched she looks at him like . . . like he didn't know how to explain it.

With those optics . . . .

Those completely broken and afraid _silver _optics. He'd never seen silver optics before.

But once again he was looking at a creature he didn't know what to do with. The snippy one that argues with him and banters with Prime, that he knew how to combat. He could play her games, because he'd played them once himself. He and Sunny they were quite sure they could keep her under wraps.

But not when she looked at him like that.

For half a nano Jynx stared up into those vivid, light, bright blue optics that looked for some insane reason as if they might be filled with some sort of emotion similar to worry—not that that made any sense to her—and was aware of the big red mech with his hands latched onto her arms trying to keep her upright and the golden one right behind her. She could feel his optics burning into her plating. She could feel the optics of a good portion of the street burning into her plating.

That wouldn't do though.

No of it would not.

She hated that look in his optics, she hated him touching her, and she hated him. For everything that he was and for everything rolling on repeat in her helm.

So she did the only logical thing she could in that situation.

She punched him dead center of the noseplate.

Very.

Very.

Hard.

A surprised gasp left him as he was knocked back and taking the surprise that seemed to have transmitted into his twin Jynx swung around so fast to the other one she might have popped a backstrut—or maybe that was her reasoning processors finally just frying out for good, not that they did her any good in the first place—and swung fast with an upper cut catching him square in the jaw and sending him reeling back with a snarl as he flailed trying to get his balance again.

By the time he or Sideswipe found their peds again though Jynx was long, long gone.

* * *

Doubled over panting for breath Jynx leaned backward against the cold grey stone wall behind her. She'd been running for joors. Not having stopped ducking through Transport stations, businesses, even homes, and anything else until she had left those two idiotic glitches well and truly in her dust.

That wasn't what had made it so hard though. What made it hard was she knew who worked for Optimus Prime. She knew that by now the most talented data analyst in the known universe was searching every camera, street light, credit transfer, and little sparklings' picture booth to find her. She couldn't get out of the city—not that she wanted to as of yet—so they knew quite well she was in here somewhere. So the ex-Decepticon Lord's right hand mech was without a doubt hot on her trail.

So that had meant she had to navigate a city she'd never been too before—in a blind panic none the less—without getting caught on video. Easier said than done, and at this point she wasn't all that sure she'd been all that successful. She just knew they hadn't found her yet. Everything else was, well, just kind of a blur.

With a heavy sigh the little white femme slid down the wall and plopped to the ground below her sending up a cloud of tan dust as she did.

She hated that dust.

She hated that it wasn't red.

She hated that she was in this mess.

She hated this fragged up idea.

She hated that she thought she could do this!

But more than anything . . . she hated herself.

Tucking her knees up to her chin she wrapped her arms around herself burying her helm into her arms as she took one ragged breath after another. And she stayed there for a good while as the sun sank down over the buildings and the cold of night set in as the pair of moons rose high in the sky above her.

She'd been running the whole orn.

Didn't seem like it really, but she guessed she wasn't surprised.

Not really.

That pair of glitches had tailed her a good ways before she finally lost them for good.

It didn't matter though.

All that mattered right now was what she needed now. A dose.

She just had to find it.

Pushing herself up she shook off the look of pour little femme so far from a pitiful excuse for a home and went to slinking through shadows and hiding from streetlights. There was darkness in this town—she could feel it beneath her peds and running up her main backstrut—she just needed to find herself a way in.

And when she turned another alley corner behind what looked suspiciously like a bar she found it. It all its oily glory.

Or more accurately all of his oily glory.

She'd know a fool dealer any time she saw one. They weren't as proud as the bots that worked directly with the Underground, they took orders, they did as they were told, they sold goods, they brought in new 'clients', and they didn't ask any questions.

They were backstrut-less cowards that would sell their own creators for a quick credit.

She hated them and loved them all wrapped up in to one sadly complicated emotion.

However, she never remembered ever being so happy to see one. The question was now, would this medium sized, thin, lanky heap of scrap metal painted an obnoxious shade of yellow know who she was?

The clicking of her claws on the stone drew his sneaky blue optics to her as she sashayed down the alley to where he leaned bay the back door of the bar picking at his finger with a blade. He offered her a sleazy smile full of things that would make a sane bot—femme or mech—run the other way as fast as they could, but Jynx.

Jynx had never been so happy to see that kind of twisted glee in another pair of optics before.

This was her ticket to a clear processor and she'd pay whatever price it was going to cost.

"Evening Love," He purred down to her standing up tall—as he could—as she came to a stop before him, far closer to him then she would ever want to be to any other bot, but she was in control of this right now.

At least that was what she told herself.

"Hello," She replied sweetly.

"What's a pretty little thing like you doing out on the streets all by your lonesome this late at night?" He asked leering down at her. "New Iacon ain't as safe as all the propaganda says you know."

Jynx grinned even brighter, her pitch black visor shimmering with the light hiding on the other side.

He didn't recognize her.

He really was an idiot.

Because it took one stupid glitch not to recognize the favorite toy of one of the highest ranked Ground members there was. He did not know he was looking at the infamous Jynx, and that was how it was going to stay.

Maybe this glitched up plan was going to work after all. Better then that though, she was going to get what she needed.

"I was hoping for that." She answered honestly.

"Oh," His optics flashed. "And why would a doll like you want the dirty side of the dazzle?"

"I have a horrid habit." She shrugged lightly twisting on one ped and drawing the other slowly up the back of her leg as she leaned a little closer to the mech letting him chuckle under his breath and reach out to her lacing an arm around her back and drawing her to his filthy plating. She ignored the way it made her own plating crawl in favor of tracing meaningless swirls onto his chest earning herself a deep purr.

"And what habit is that?"

"CN." She chirped. "Know anywhere I might be able to find some?"

He laughed. "You came lookin' in the right place, Love. I got anything you want. 12, T-ray, 78, or G-42. Take your pick, but in a city like this that kind of stuff is pricey."

Jynx tilted her helm slightly pulling out a pout that would impress bratlings as she let her claws venture in their wondering to the mechs thin shoulders. She could feel him shiver under the touch so she slid them down his arms. "Slag. I don't have any credits on me . . . ya think maybe . . . we could work ourselves up an arrangement?"

She ended the last word in a high pitch purr letting it vibrate through her frame until she saw the acceptance of the deal flash in the mechs optics.

"I don't normally but for or you, Love, I'm make an exception."

She knew he would.

They always would.

Predictable glitches.

Thought they were so smart, didn't know that she didn't care. It was just one of the easiest ways to get what she wanted. Always had been. Still was.

"Fantastic," She hummed, letting the mech draw her to his side as he lead her to the door at the back of the bar.

"Great," He grinned. His optics still working her over. A sight which she ignored. "You got a name, Love?"

To that Jynx tilted up her helm to stare into his plain, slightly ugly faceplate, worn and weathered not with time but with abuse before she faked another smile.

"Fancy." She replied easily. "They call me Fancy."

* * *

**The things you'll do to forget, Jynx. *sigh*  
**

**Well that's chapter five. We're learning a bit more about Jynx, but this is only the blades tip. Whole lot more glitched up nonsense where she comes from. So please review and tell me what you thought. Reviews make me write faster. Which means you get chapters every week. **

**-Jaycee**


	6. Fancy Words

**Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers. Just the plot and OCs.**

**Wow! You guys are awesome. So many reviews. **

**Thank you. **

**And hey, its still the weekend. Technically, it's not late. **

**Blame AOE. I went and saw it. It among other things consumed yesterday. Now you have a chapter though so go enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 6

Fancy Words

Wrapped snugly in dirty, slightly smelly sheets Jynx lie quietly on her front. Arms crossed and chin resting in the middle of them she stared through a dark visor to the window across the room.

The sun was rising.

She'd been out all night.

Not that she really cared.

She had what she needed and was doing nothing now other then contemplating how many times she'd woken up in this situation before. Laying in a strange berth next to a strange mech with an anything but small dose of CN swirling in her veins leaving her blank, warm, and happy. So she was content to just watch the red morning sun spill through the cracks in the sheet that tried to cover the dirty broken glass. It did little good though, letting the light spill through to drip across the tile floor closer and closer until eventually it lightly smoothed its way over Jynx's still tired frame.

She closed her optics to the feeling, letting it warm her bright plating that was exposed to it. It was rare for her. Simply laying in the sun like this. Laying anywhere like this really. She didn't normally stay longer then was needed with a dealer. She'd trade what she had for what she needed and she'd be on her way.

But she'd been to sober—she'd dosed as soon as she got it afterward—and really where was she going to go? Back to the Prime a joor before sunrise?

She might as well enjoy the tingles of blankness for as long as she could. Enjoy the swirling nothing that had pushed all that other back into the locked tight box it belonged it. Where she would leave it now that she had what she needed. She made enough CN last night from her new dealer—Plasmaburn—to have a fogged up processor for at least a decacycle before she'd have to get more, the stash of which was currently stuffed in her subspace. She'd move it later, right now she really didn't feel like moving anything.

Even herself from this oily mech's berth.

Him laying to her left sprawled out and snoring was not a comfort to her. If anything it annoyed her, but she still had to find out all she hadn't learned last night.

And since she hadn't learned anything other then what would get her CN she still had a lot to discuss. Which was why she was still laying there in his berth.

That and in her empty mind she cared about nothing.

There were no memories. Only now.

And now was warm and tired.

She was content. Strangely enough.

So content was where she stayed. Well into the morning as the mech beside her snored, she just lay there soaking up the sunray watching it through a momentary clear visor. Her silver optics sparkled through the now see-through glass and created a light glow against her arms which held her chin in the dim light. If it wouldn't have broken the peace in her processor she might have started purring. There was a chance that might have woken up her 'company' though.

And as content as she was she wasn't _that _content.

She needed answers still, but she was not as desperate as she had been last night. It would be _Fancy_ this mech woke to find, but it would not be the one from last night. There was a bit more of Jynx in her now as strange as that sounded. It was just the way it was.

Because when Jynx got that desperate she wasn't the empty swirling wonderland of what she wanted when she wanted it. She was a slave all over again. Still a slave to _him_. Only now _he _came in the form of the things she would never be able to forget. The things that she had to chase away with that burning liquid behind a needle.

But she wasn't thinking about that now.

She reminded herself that she was blissfully empty again, and that was the way it was going to stay now. Because that was the only way this was going to work.

A yawn broke through her musing causing her visor to tint back to black and for her to fake recharge. Better if her new dealer not know that she had spent the last few breems observing everything in his dingy apartment above a bar. Settling into the mismatched pillows around her she slowed the cycling of her vents to appear as if she was deep in recharge as the yellow mech rolled over with a deep yawn. Hydraulics hissing and whirling as gears ground and plating cracked back into place as he stretched up in the berth. For a moment there was silence and all was still as Jynx lay there quietly feeling his blue optics roam over her before the berth shifted as Plasmaburn pushed himself up and out of the squishy surface.

Peaking open an optic open Jynx watched as the lanky mech strolled around the berth scratching at his aft in a way that made the little white femme hold back a groan.

The things she did for a dose . . . .

She surprised even herself now and again.

Not that it matter now.

Plasmaburn drug lazy morning peds across the tile to the washracks across the room and with a hiss the door slid shut behind him. At that Jynx let out a yawn of her own, pushing herself up on her palms feeling the plates in her back shift back into place. Rolling to the side she twisted to sit up, cracking the transformation rely in her lower back that had never healed just right before pushing herself up off the berth. The sheet fell away leaving her to slowly walk to the window she'd been staring out of.

Reaching out she pulled the parted cover away looking out at the sun drenched lower end of New Iacon. It bathed the simper buildings in warm light lighting it up like a glittering jewel. It was a far cry from everything she knew, and with a system still so full of narcotics she couldn't bring herself to care about it.

All she cared about was the colors swirling and dancing as bots walked the sidewalks and the Tran could be heard through the glass rocketing by somewhere near where she was. It was harder to hate the stupidly perfect city when there was no dark memories flowing through her.

In fact, in this post-dose haze it was kind of hard to hate anything.

And that wasn't a feeling she was really all that use too. She'd been tranquil after overdue doses before, but this was something else entirely.

The lazy smile slid away from her lips as her optics narrowed behind her blackened visor.

But already she could feel it slipping. Already she knew that by the time the moons rose tonight she'd be back in her processor again. Especially after she walked back into the Prime's front door.

Which she would.

She had too.

He was going to pay her to kill the mechs she despised with every fiber of her being; what kind of idiot screwed that up?

At the same time however, she got within ten feet of those stupid twins and suddenly all she could see was that visor flashing across her mind. Dim, and lifeless, and empty, and mocking her for the rest of her damn miserable excuse of a life.

She can't handle that!

Her claws tightened around the fabric.

She wasn't mature enough for this!

How was she supposed to pull this off? She knew she couldn't do it sober—she couldn't do anything sober—but she also knew deep down in her spark in a part of herself she hated listening too that the chances of the Prime standing for her shooting the second highest potency level of CN known to Cybertronian kind into her system on a nightly basis so she could recharge and not lose her damn pitiful grip on sanity.

It was going to be very interesting trying to make this work.

The door behind her slid open to Plasmaburn as he strolled from the washracks looking like he didn't even bother to try and use a cleaning cloth while he was in there. Somehow, Jynx wasn't all that surprised.

The yellow mech really didn't strike her as the 'clean' type.

She made a mental note to hit the washracks when she got back to the Prime. That is if they didn't shoot her when she walked in the door, or turned back on the block.

Because that was a likely possibility.

She had kind of punched both those glitches and took off. That violated the stupid deal.

Jynx wasn't sure where she stood with the glitchy Enforcers now.

Yet, she knew what she would do when she found out what she needed to know. Even if she really couldn't believe it she knew she would do it. Just like with Greaseslick for all those vorns. She could feel it deep down inside of her, she knew it.

She knew she'd go back.

And she wanted to curse that fact to the pit and back.

"I'm a little surprised you're still here." His voice was wispy, not strong or deep like the mechs she was use too, but somehow that made it a little bit better that she was still here. He was dirty, cruel, rather stupid, and cared nothing for anything except credits and possibly a good frag.

But all that made it easier too.

It kept her from knowing what Ar—

She shook her helm. It didn't matter what he would say. He was gone and he was never coming back except to haunt her between the real world and her nightmares for how badly she had screwed up.

"So am I." She admitted quietly, turning back to watch him through her dark visor as he walked back to the berth and plopped down on the corner of the berth. Leaning back on his palms the dealer smiled at her in some way she assumed he thought was attractive.

He kind of looked like somebot stuck something up his tailpipe.

Leaning back against the window she crossed her arms over her chest. "You don't seem to be complaining though. Most dealers kick their clients out afterward."

"You're a little too pretty to kick out of berth, Fancy."

"Flattery will get you nothing, Plasmaburn."

His blue optics flashed. "Worth a shot."

She just snorted a laugh while he swung his peds against the side of the berth.

"You've got enough seventy-eight blend to last you a good decacycle. Why are you still here?"

To that Jynx smiled, flashing her visor once in a quick beam before she tipped her helm to the side to stare out at the busy street again. "I'm new in town."

"I gathered that last night." He laughed a high sound. "I don't normally get the clients like you."

She felt a sensor twitch from where it was tucked. "Why's that?"

"My boss normally supplies them." He sounded bitter. "I always get the gutter scrap."

"Like me?" She glanced his way again.

A sick, twisted smirk. "You don't bend like gutter scrap darling."

No. She certainly didn't.

She had become excellent at everything she did.

_Everything_.

She had to be.

"So does that mean I'll be seeing your boss the next time I need a dose then?"

His smile faltered slightly as she watched the thoughts start spinning in his processor. She knew very well how it worked in these ranks. Lowlifes like him didn't get the pick of the crop when it came to clients. They got whatever their bosses didn't want to deal with. Especially when it came to clients that paid like she did—and would have to keep doing if she was going to pay her debt, she couldn't spend what she _might _make from the Prime on drugs—the bosses of the city dealt for them.

The boss was the bot that ran the Underground for that particular city. He or she had plenty of bots working for them, looking for clients, recruits, and prospects but they all answered back to that one bot just as that one bot answered back to one of the Ground Captions who answered to the Master. It was quite the complicated set of ranks and rules that ran the Underground, but then again what evil secret society bent on ruling the planet and killing a bunch of bots didn't act like that?

Jynx knew what she knew about the Underground because she'd been dealing with them since she'd gotten out of that pit. She knew how the system ranks worked because she'd been one of those clients that got noticed and passed along until she eventually ended up under the claws of the second most powerful mech in the universe.

Her gaze narrowed behind her visor.

How she worked her little deal from here on out was going to depend on who was the boss of New Iacon and whether or not they would know her to be histoy.

"Off Road will demand to know who I'm selling too. When you don't pay in credits I still have to prove where the product is going." He explained it like she didn't know all that, but she made no move to correct him. The less he knew that she knew the less he would question who she really was and who claimed her. "By the rules he has to know who I'm selling too, but he doesn't have to know they're so drop dead gorgeous."

That worked fine by her.

She knew Off Road. He was well up there in the ranks. He was trusted by the Master. It made sense that the Master would give him the tunnels of New Iacon to look after. He was discrete whereas others were too flashy to control in secret the Prime's pretty city.

He danced shadows far better than most of the Captions.

She should have known that no just normal boss would rule here, and that it wouldn't be just any Caption either.

Off Road was not a force to be taken lightly.

He was anything but.

She could take him though, and she had what she needed to know to get back in with the Prime. Maybe.

"You'll deal with me." The finality of the words drew her back to the mech that had been rambling all along as if he was trying to tell her what she needed to know to keep getting CN. As if she didn't already known what she would have to do. She would find the tunnel entrance on her own—because he wouldn't tell her that, not unless he was an idiot—and frankly she was tired of dealing with him for now.

He was far better than the mech that thought he owned her but he was still something that made her protoform feel dirty. Dosed up and feeling good had its downsides as well as it did its up.

The longer she stood there looking at him the more she could feel the swirling nothing begin to fade back to the disapproving look she knew would be behind that visor.

It was time to go.

Pushing herself up right she nodded to the mech. "Works for me. The bar is where I can find you?"

He nodded.

"Next time then." She was done with this. She wanted out now.

And he made no move to stop her, he was a dealer and she was an addict. He knew as well as she did that when she needed more she would be back. So what did he have to worry about?

Slipping out the front door she stuck to the shadows as she snuck down the backstairs that had taken her up to the rooms last night and let herself out the back without being noticed, and then she quickly and quietly slipped back into the now too bright and too happy streets of New Iacon.

It was funny how quickly her dose could fade.

It was funny how stupid she truly was

* * *

"SOUNDWAVE!"

The quiet silver mech paused in the clicking of his claws over keys as he scanned the street cameras. It was not often the Prime took that tone.

When he did it was best all paid attention.

Straightening in his crouch over the monitors the big silver mech glanced over his shoulder as the towering form of Optimus Prime stomped through the open door across the control center looking for all the world as if he was trying quite hard this orn to imitate one of his brother's moods.

Soundwave was not impressed.

"Prime?" He replied evenly without the slightest hint of an emotion. Yet.

"Where is that fraggin' femme!?" Optimus seethed as he closed the distance between them.

Well.

He was in quite the upset.

It crossed Soundwave that that might be slightly funny. He might have even laughed if he were not working. There was no time for laughing at work though. Especially when one, Optimus looked like that, and two there was a murderess lose in the streets and he hadn't been able to find the glitch all fraggin' night.

It was insulting to his personal pride.

No.

He was in no mood for laughter.

He was in no mood to tell the Prime that he couldn't find her either.

Turning back to the twenty monitors that were flashing all around him rolling footage of street after street and so much more he narrowed his light red optics to them all as the big mech came to a seething stop behind him.

"I am not yet sure."

"Not sure?"

Megatron?

Soundwave was under the impression he was out with Ironhide, Jazz, and the Twins trying to find the runaway.

"_You. _Not sure?" His friend went out as he came to a stop beside his brother.

"It appears that way."

"How interesting." The grey mech chuckled. "I'm liking this guest of yours brother."

"Mute it, Megatron." Optimus growled, his own optics scanning the screens even if he knew he'd never see as much as Soundwave did. If Soundwave hadn't found her yet there might not be anything to find.

He might just really be an idiot.

"Optimus," Megatron cast his red optics to his brother with a lazy smile. "You're taking this too personally."

He was cut a very dark glare to which he only shrugged.

"You are." He pressed. "So she lied to you? Big deal. I lied to you all the time."

"Past tense, Megs." Letting out a sigh he shook his helm to the screens and pinched the bridge of his noseplate.

"Yes," The larger mech nodded. "But you can't honestly tell me you thought she wouldn't try something?"

His younger brother did not respond.

Soundwave paused in his typing to glance back at them offering his friend a look.

Megatron lifted an optic ridge. "You _really _thought it would be that simple? Optimus. Come on now."

"This is giving her everything she wants!" Optimus threw his hands up in the air spinning around as he went to pacing. "What in the damn universe does she possibly have to complain about?"

"She hates the mechs you have sparkling sitting her." Soundwave put in oh so helpfully.

"Yes . . . ." Optimus grumbled. "Thank you."

"Live to serve and all that." He didn't look up from his scanning as Megatron chuckled.

"Obviously you must be wrong there, little brother." The ex-warlord shrugged as he watched the screens again.

Optimus paused. "Wrong about what?"

"Her having everything that she wants." He expanded. "Because if she did she would obviously still be here."

Tilting his helm Optimus regarded his brother. "I'm not sure I'm following you."

"Optimus you're trying to cage and control a feral robo-cat. I think we've all just about gathered that much. There is also a lot going on here we haven't yet figured out. That femme has more secrets then the matrix, I'll bet you a vorns worth of dawn patrols on that one, little brother. And I know a little bit about secrets. I also know a CN addict when I see one."

Optimus straightened. "CN?"

Megatron snorted. "You don't think there is something more to do with that messed up processor. She goes from one extreme to another. She panics and then fights."

"She's afraid." Optimus argued.

"Or needs a hit."

"You didn't see her faceplate the other orn, Megatron." Optimus argued. "She was terrified of me."

The grey mech shrugged. "I'm not saying she wasn't. I'm just telling you what I see."

"Did it ever accrue to either of you that maybe it is both?" Soundwave's even voice drew both the royal sparked mechs to stare at his back as he typed away bring up more information scanning and cataloging as he ran through security cameras, personal cameras, anything he could get his claws on.

"Both?" Optimus questioned his optics narrowing.

"Both." He replied.

"Soundwave," Megatron rumbled. "Don't play games."

"Who's playing games?" The data specialist lifted an optic ridge even if they couldn't see it. "I do not play games, Megatron."

The massive grey mech rolled his optics. It was true, but it wasn't the answer he wanted. "I know, but you do not often guess either."

"I'm not guessing." Soundwave snorted. "I _never _guess."

"Then what do you know, Soundwave?" Optimus pressed.

"I know a _very_ damaged bot when I see it. You all think she's insane. I do not."

"You haven't even met her, Soundwave." Optimus tilted his helm.

"I do not need too." A hand waved mindlessly around over his shoulder pointing every direction to the cameras he had in pretty much every corner, a fact that stretched to as many places as imaginable in this compound and in the streets. Yet still the femme was somehow eluding him.

Both mechs' looked to the cameras and Optimus realized he was wrong. Soundwave had met the femme even if she hadn't met him. He had been doing just as he was supposed to be doing. Watching every move she made that he possibly could. The Prime guessed that he very much knew who he had been watching these last few orns.

Soundwave made it his business to know every other bots business.

It was what Optimus paid him for.

It was what he trusted him to do.

"You don't think she's insane?" Optimus questioned.

"I know she is not."

"Then what is she?" Megatron was curious just what his old friend thought he saw when he looked at the lethal little white femme.

"A runaway." Soundwave replied just as something caught his attention on a video feed he just brought up. "Running away from even herself."

The brothers glanced between each other.

"And she's currently on seventh street."

* * *

"When I get my hands on her I'm gonna tie her to the damn Tran tracks." Sunstreaker was still fuming. It wasn't really all that surprising though. He and Sides had been out here walking these damn streets looking for that little glitch all fraggin' night.

The glitch that hit them again!

Sides pulls her out of the street where she was about to become road kill and then she punches them both in the faceplate and _runs away_!

"I can't see that ending well for us, Sunny." Sideswipe sighed as they rounded a blocked they'd been down twenty-eight times now. He was pretty sure they'd circled the whole walled in city thirty times and had yet to find a sign of the femme.

He wasn't even sure she was still in the city, but Soundwave assured them that she hadn't gotten outside the city walls. He would have seen that and so far he'd seen nothing. Which meant she was here, but she was here somewhere he couldn't see.

That in and of itself was troubling.

Because Soundwave could see pretty much everywhere in this town.

So where exactly could she be hiding?

"And why the pit would it not end well?" Sunstreaker hissed.

"Optimus would get angry." He replied in a duh tone.

Sunstreaker punched him in the shoulder.

Not very gently either.

"Oww!" Sides whined, taking several steps away from his twin pulling off a rather believable look of utter betrayal as he glared back at him playfully. "Why you always gotta hit me, Sunny?"

"Don't call me that!" The golden mech knew the other wasn't serious. It was kind of hard to lie—even playfully—to the other half of your spark. He could feel Sides' amusement bubbling over the bond between them. Just as he knew his twin could feel his annoyance.

Both things were ignored on both fronts though.

Sideswipe just grinned cheekily. "You don't mind all the time."

Those narrowed blue optics got even narrower.

Sides just went back to strolling down the sidewalk looking for the one they weren't supposed to loose in the first place. Sunstreaker would get over it . . . eventually.

Well, probably not any time soon, but when they found the femme and he got to take her apart he would feel loads better. Not that Sideswipe was going to let him do that. Optimus was mad, but not that mad. There had yet to be mass murder so the Prime had said to just bring her back.

Which might be easier said than done considering she'd already ditched them once. For reasons Sideswipe couldn't figure out. The little femme confused him. She went from placid to psychotic with the flip of a switch. A switch he couldn't figure out what was.

She was glitched that was for sure, but there was something else.

Something he'd seen a few times now.

That fear, that complete panic, that took her over.

It hit him right in the spark.

That fire that seemed to fuel her was impressive, and yet it vanished in a nano leaving behind a trembling femme hardly grown.

Then there was the whole thing with the energon last orn. Seeing her act like that over something as simple as mid-charge. It reminded the ex-gladiator of times he had long since tired to leave forgotten even if he knew he never could.

The truth was—even if he was trying to ignore it—Jynx reminded him a lot of . . . .

He glanced over his shoulder to the gold mech that was gazing down an alley behind him.

Of the _thing _his brother had once been. A _thing _they had both been.

And he remembered how much it hurt to hit that rock bottom, and of how desperately they had needed that hand offered out to pull them back up. He was not stupid. He knew where they would have ended up if it hadn't of been for Optimus and Ratchet.

Dead.

That was where they would have ended up.

Shoved in a smelter and made into new parts.

They had been on the fast track to a rather painful and gory trip to pit and that is just where they would have ended up had it not been for the second chance they were offered. A second chance they had not been going to take.

Trust was not something they had offered up to anybot but each other back then. They had guarded it as closely as they guarded each other for they knew what it was like to be betrayed.

And when Sideswipe slowed down and thought about it he could see it in the Wild Cat just as well.

"Sideswipe," Sunstreaker's rumble had the red mech turning before he even really processed the fact that he'd spoken.

"What?" He questioned taking a few steps back to join back up with his brother as he stared across and up a block.

Sunstreaker didn't offer him a verbal reply. Just lifted a hand and pointed through the morning crowds. Sides' dark blue optics followed where the finger led them before they widened slightly at what they found. Bright white plating stretched over a thin, _little_, frame along with a dark black visor heading back toward the Enforcer Building.

"Well, well, well," The red twin chuckled. "Guess it's true what they say about robo-cats, bro. They do eventually come wondering back home."

* * *

"I told you fraggin' idiots this was a bad idea."

Jazz resisted the urge to sigh heavily and run a clawed hand down his faceplate.

"I know, Ironhide." The saboteur replied. "You've told me that eight times just in the last joor."

"Well make it nine." The big ebony mech grumbled as they turned another corner making their way into downtown.

"Look, Hide." Jazz cast a look through his visor to his old friend. "I know you aren't fond of this idea—"

"Oh yes," Hide cut him off. "Because why would I be _fond _of the idea of having a raving lunatic lose in my fraggin' home!? There is absolutely nothing wrong with that at all. Nothing whatsoever."

Jazz rolled his optics behind his visor. "Ironhide, this isn't really the first time we're tried this glitched up plan."

"If you recall I didn't like any of those times either, Jazz." The weapons expert sighed, his optics scanning for any trace of the femme he'd yet to actually meet.

There was silence for a long moment as they walked along until the silver mech huffed.

"I was one of those times, Ironhide."

Ironhide paused mid-step before taking up his pace again. "I know. I'm sorry, Jazz. That's not what I meant."

"It's just what you meant, friend." He snorted. "But I don't mind. Got over the whole ex-Con card a long time ago. We both know this is my family and that it has been for a long time. I just can't help it. She intrigues me."

"And we all know what happened the last time something intrigued you." Ironhide cracked a smile as he recalled what it was that brought Jazz to their side of the war all those vorns ago.

Jazz grinned. "Because that went so well didn't it?"

"It was quite the eventful night, yes." Hide laughed.

"You tried to shot me."

"Wasn't the first time, nor will it be the last."

"All I wanted was to see the Allspark."

"And we were so not going to let that happen."

They spared each other a glance before breaking down into laughter.

They continued on after that, walking quietly through the morning in search of their runaway guest until Ironhide rumbled a deep sound somewhere in his chest drawing Jazz's attention back to him.

"What is it?"

The black mech chewed on the inside of his cheek in thought for a long few klicks as he weighed the question he wanted to ask over in his processor before he finally just let out a huff and came out with it. "Why are you and Optimus, _pit _even Ratchet, so convinced that you can turn this little glitch around? Not everybot turns out like you and the twins, Jazz."

"We turned _Megatron_ around, Hide." He lifted an optic ridge above his visor. "I think we can handle a little damaged femme."

"No, Jazz." Ironhide shook his helm. "_We _didn't turn Megatron around. Dying in a distorted, exploding, really bad idea is what cured Megatron. _That _is what woke the mech that use to be back up. Not us."

"Well we decided not to shoot him." Jazz argued.

"You mean after he _died _saving Optimus?"

"That's just what I mean."

Hide rolled his optics. "And they say I'm the stubborn mech."

"That's because you're a big unmovable mass of armor and attitude." The saboteur chuckled.

Hide shoved him playfully as they turned down another block.

"In all seriousness though," The big mech rumbled. "You really think you can make this work? The first chance she got she vanished. She lied. Big shocker there. We've been out here all fraggin' night looking for the little glitch. After she punched the twins and ran away. You really think she's gonna just stroll right back into our lives with a real excuse and this is all magically going to work out? You and Optimus are going to somehow tame one of the most dangerous monsters we've run across in the desert and everything is just going to work out?"

Jazz shot him a grin before his attention caught something or rather somebot down the street. "Yes, yes, and yes again. And in fact, I _do _believe she's gonna stroll right back into our lives, because she's right there."

"What?" Hide spun just in time to see a flash of bright white plating disappear around a building the same moment his comm link went off.

* * *

Well this was going swimmingly.

Absolutely wonderful.

Really.

Jynx had no idea where in this fraggin' city she was, her claws were twitching for energon, and all these stupid _happy_ bots were just asking to have their stupid sparks removed with the blunt end of a broken spoon!

It was safe to say all the laughing around her was seriously trying her patience.

Who would have thought it would be so hard to actually figure out where the giant Enforcer's Building was again!?

It was big, black, and twisted into the stupid sky!

One would think she would have been able to find it by now!

But noooooooooo.

She was too busy trying to worm her way around giggling sparklings and kissing couples to do anything but gag every corner she turned and have to go lean against an alley wall to calm down again before she just started gutting them all in the middle of the street.

Did these fraggin' idiots not know who she was!?

Well no . . . most of them probably didn't. Not by sight anyway. They'd never been out of there perfect little walled in glittering city. They didn't know _anything_!

They didn't even know that there were murderers all around them. Standing next to them in line at the store, buying sweets out of a corner stand, desperately trying to breath in an alley while they walked by, and scurrying around under their peds. Plotting and planning while their go-lucky little world kept right on spinning in perfect harmony.

And it was all one great big stupid lie!

All of it!

This perfect _safety _they lived in it was nothing but a bunch of fancy words stringing together this make-believe Well in the middle of a living pit.

Each and every one of them were living a bold faced lie and not a single one of them knew it, or even bothered to notice.

They _trusted _it.

And really that was the underlying factor that was pushing Jynx up against a wall all over again. The stupid _trust _these bots put in that slaggin' Prime! In all their pretty badge wearing Enforcers! In their Elite Guard! In that fraggin' Lord High Protector!

The mech that caused all this in the first place!

They all just happily trailed along after them like socket-fawns to slaughter. Didn't even have the sense to know the static-hounds prowling around their doors at night.

She wanted to start slicing them all the pieces just so they would see that their perfect world was not so perfect. That there was no such thing as trust.

It was for fools, but really they all were fools anyway.

So what did it really matter in the end?

They'd learn nothing, they'd see nothing.

They believed the propaganda. They believed they were safe here.

Her cutting into each and every poor unfortunate spark she could get her claws in before Prime's little pets found her and killed her would not make a difference. It wouldn't shatter their world, not for long.

They'd still be blind to their own stupid mistakes.

If anything they would trust the mighty Prime even more for saving them from the mad glitch in the streets.

And that just wouldn't do.

She wanted to see their pretty perfect world built on fancy words and false hope shatter before their very optics in a grand show of how utterly ridiculous it all really was.

She wanted to see the look on the Prime's faceplate when he saw it for himself.

Saw just how wrong he was.

She wanted to watch him watch his Well fall to pieces around him.

His life deserved to be ruined.

He and his stupid brother had ruined hers so why couldn't she return the favor?

Optic for an optic and all that.

The giggling of a mech in the arms of another as they nuzzled noseplates on a corner before her made her spark clench and her claws dig into her palms. She cut down another side alley between two buildings and she didn't even bother to notice what or were. Just ran down it until she was leaning against a scrap bin at the end of what somehow turned into a dead end. Not that she cared.

Right then she just wanted out of the noise and out of the sights.

She wanted to be back to what she was this morning. Thoughtless and memory-less. Just laying there in a warm haze as the sun soaked into her plating and an old musty pillow rested against her helm.

She wanted the blind daze that a dose would give her.

A dose that had worn off far too quickly.

That glitch Plasmaburn hadn't been selling quite the quality he claimed. For seventy-eight blend it didn't last.

Sure it was a knock out when she first shot it up, but it was hardly mid orn and it was already filtering out of her system. Which meant if she wanted a whole nights worth of recharge she was probably going to have to double dose, and she hadn't doubled up in vorns.

Even she knew it wasn't all that smart of a thing to do.

In all reality it was downright idiotic.

Especially with seventy-eight blend. It was the second strongest type of CN in there was. Coming only after slag that even she hadn't tried yet. That was the stuff that it took finding a Caption to get your hands on.

The Ground sold it sure, but they didn't sell it to just anybot.

It was a lethal thing—far more so then all the rest of it—and as much as the Underground liked credits they liked clients to keep paying those credits way, way more. So if they all overdosed in one setting of that slag then they'd make far less profit.

And they couldn't have that now could they?

All of that being the only reason she hadn't taken it yet. Even if she was as toy to a ranked mech she was not stupid or desperate enough to ask him for anything.

No.

When he came calling it was to collect what she owed and to _play _whether she could pay or not.

So Jynx had stayed away from blend X.

That might not be an option for her as of too much longer though. Because there was a notion creeping up in the back of her processor that was making the plating along her back stand up in fright only to force her to plaster it back to her protoform.

She might be becoming use to the high seventy-eight brought her. Just like she had become use to all the others. After seventeen orns of taking the blend it wasn't surprising. She'd had to go up over the vorns. Up her dosage until she had to eventually up the blend she took.

If she had built up a tolerance to the high it brought her it would mean it would wear off quicker and quicker until eventually it did nothing for her all together.

Until she was left with nothing to fight it all off with.

Until there was nothing that was going to keep them all out from behind her optics.

What little bit of energon she had left in her tanks swirled up at the very notion and before she even knew she was doing it she was twisting around to the side and purging up everything she had in her systems. Hacking up half processed energon while she clutched her abdominal plating squeezing at her tanks to try and get it all to come up now instead of later.

That was how the Enforcer's found her.

The angry snap at the end of Sunstreaker's tongue dying before it got past his lips as he and Sideswipe made it to the mouth of the dead-end alley the same moment Ironhide and Jazz did only to find the femme they'd spent the whole night and half the orn looking for crouched double beside a scrap bin coughing up her own tanks.

Jynx was too busy choking to notice who had appeared at the end of the alley. Pit, she was coughing too much to notice her own shivering as one hand shot out the steady her wobbling self against the scrap bin as her equilibrium spun off with the sudden lack of fuel in her frame. The whole world was tilting out of wack—it wasn't the first time this had happened to her, a dose not setting well and her getting sick because of it, that was what she was going to believe it was anyway because she was _not _having a panic attack—as she kept on coughing, her inner mechanism squeezing her tanks trying to get up whatever it was her frame thought was wrong even when there was nothing left down there for her to cough up. That was when the inner acids that helped to break down the energon a Cybertronian ingested to turn it into fuel and their lives blood started coming up.

And that slag _burned_.

It also wasn't a very good thing when it happened, the sticky yellow substance a red flag to any with any sort of medical knowledge that something was very _wrong_ here.

Her blurred vision narrowed at it trying to make sense out of what she was seeing.

Was this because she was freaking out, getting use to the blend she was taking, or . . . oh slag that _glitch _really had given her a fraggin' bad dose! No wonder she was so dossal this morning!

It wasn't because she'd been without for too long; it was because the chemical compound was all screwed to pit! It felt good up front but after it had been in her system for a while it turned to . . . something. She wasn't sure at the moment. She couldn't recall what the damn CN did when it was blended wrong.

She couldn't . . . she didn't . . . know . . . what was she supposed to do about this?

She didn't know why she was so hot.

Why was she so hot?

Why was the world spinning?

Why could she taste her own energon running down her . . . lip? The hand that had been hugging her middle rose with a deep set in tremor to her upper lip only to jolt back in shock at the liquid she found there.

She was leaking. Her noseplate was leaking.

That was bad . . . wasn't it?

This all . . . this was bad. This wasn't supposed to happen. Why was it happening?

Her bent legs fell out from under her and she hit the pavement with a bang as she coughed up another round of burning yellow something that she could no longer figure out what was.

And _that _was what snapped the four mechs at the end of the alley out of their daze of trying to figure out what the pit was happening.

"Slag!" Jazz bolted forward with Sideswipe and Ironhide right behind him as the little femme curled onto her side panting through vents that were wheezing as if no matter how bad she tired she couldn't get air into her systems. The click of her cooling fans whirling to life could be heard as they spun into overdrive just trying to get her frame cooled down from where it was beginning to cook itself from the inside out.

And yet no matter how hard they and her panting was working she only felt like she was getting hotter, and even when she shook her helm trying to clear her vision all she managed to do was make herself more dizzy.

Jazz slid the last two feet to her, missing the puddle in front of her, and skidding to his knees just in time to catch her before she slammed her helm back on the stone wall behind her.

"Pit," He hissed under his breath at how scorching hot her plating was to the touch as he yanked her up and into his arms. "You're burning up, sweetspark."

Jynx could only cough a reply with acid leaking down her lips and her own energon mixing into it as well while she felt herself get pulled up against ice cold, to her, plating while she lay there unsure for a moment what the silver blob in front of her actually was.

"What the pit happened?!" Sideswipe slide down beside the saboteur as Ironhide crouched down on his other side. Sunstreaker stood at the end of the alley watching them all, and yet staying completely quiet. He neither moved toward her nor asked what was going on. Knowing him most—that most including Jazz, Hide, and his own brother for a few moments—thinking that he was staying back because she was purging and he wouldn't have that near his precious paint job.

In all reality though, Sunstreaker was stunned into still silence.

He didn't understand.

"How should we know!?" Ironhide spit back at the frontliner as Jazz pulled the little femme up into his arms and rocked back on his heels, nodding thanks when Ironhide helped him pull her and himself back up. Jynx hardly weighed anything, but she was trembling so badly she off setting Jazz's own stability.

"We saw her half a block ago!" Sides was kind of sorta panicking. Just a bit. He didn't know what to do with this. He didn't know what was wrong! "She was fine, how the pit did _this _happen!?"

"I don't know!" Jazz growled, frustrated and confused. "But it doesn't matter. What matters is we get her to Ratchet. _Now_! She's gonna die if we don't get her cooled down!"

Maybe it was the familiar voices, or maybe it was the familiar designation, really Jynx wasn't all that sure what it was. Something just clicked through the haze of all that was burning out all her rational thinking and she made sense out of the silver blob in front of her optics.

Jazz.

The Enforcer.

Oh pit no.

She didn't know a lot right now, but she did know that he couldn't mean anything but trouble. Medics, and twins, and perfect slaggin' Primes. That was what he meant.

And all that was well past _bad_.

"No," It was supposed to come a whole lot more demanding and angry then it did, but in all reality it came out as a pitiful whine as Jynx tried to shove a clawed hand against Jazz's chest. However, it really only ended up with her claws just sliding across the armored plating as she meekly shook her helm back and forth. "No don't."

Her once confident voice now so weak and quiet actually hurt Jazz. It sliced him through the spark in a way he hadn't truly expected as she tried to pitifully get him to let her go. She hardly had the strength to lift her hand let alone get him to put her down.

His claws tightened around her in an instinct he had gained after he switched sides.

The instinct to protect, to help, those that need you.

And right now whether she liked it or not she needed them. She needed them badly.

It was the same instinct that struck through Ironhide, Sideswipe, and even Sunstreaker as he watched from the end of the alley. Because whether they liked the trouble maker or not she was lying there slowly dying in Jazz's arm and that wasn't something they could just stand there and watch happen. It wasn't the way they were built.

It wasn't what they had become.

And they couldn't just let her systems meltdown from whatever the slag was wrong with her while they watched. She was just a young little femme. She might be a horrible, murdering, psycho femme, but right now she was nothing but somebot that needed help.

And she was far from the worst thing they'd helped that didn't truly deserve it.

"It's alright, Jynx." Jazz murmured softly. "Ya gonna be okay."

"N-n-no," Jynx went right on trying to get away from the ever more blurring silver blob that had her pinned tightly to his chest. "L-l . . . let go."

She was panting through her speech now trying to desperately suck in air to cool down the feeling of her insides melting into goo.

"Pl. . . ease." She was begging now and she didn't even care. She just wanted him to put her down. She didn't know what was happening. She just knew that being helpless in a mech's arms was a horrible place for her to be.

It was absolutely terrifying.

"We're not gonna hurt you, Wild Cat." Sideswipe tried to calm the weakly struggling thing in Jazz's arms but at that point he wasn't sure she could even hear them anymore. She just went right on whimpering as energon dripped in a far to steady stream down her chin. "You're gonna be okay."

Sideswipe was a little surprised when a flash of fear went through him when that black visor dimmed out to nothing and no light at all peaking through its tint as she went far to limp in Jazz's arms.

That was when Sunstreaker snapped them all into action. "We have to get her to Ratchet. NOW!"

The words were hardly out of the golden mech's lips before Jazz had spun and bolted back for the Enforcer's Building and the compound that lay beneath and behind it.

* * *

The panic filled comm link message had hardly raced through Optimus' processor before he and Megatron paused in their decent of the stairs to the main lobby only to be shoved out of the way as Ratchet and First Aid went flying by.

Megatron actually got halfway through a snarled retort at being pushed aside like some stupid glitch before the words Jazz had just shouted over the airways actually clicked in his processor.

_The femme . . . ? _

_Dying?_

In the same very nano-klick the brothers spun to face each other, optics widening before they sprinted together down the last flight of stairs, flinging themselves through the back door of the lobby just in time to watch Jazz, Ironhide, and the twins race through the spinning front doors to nearly crash into Ratchet and his apprentice.

With a shivering, leaking, far too limp femme in the saboteur's arms.

One more shared glance and then they were racing forward again past Bling who was half gasping half screaming over at her reception desk none of them were paying her any mind though as they skidding up behind the CMO as he took one look at the femme, smacked both twins in the helm with a wrench, got a shared 'hey!', which he followed up with a 'wouldn't have happened if you had kept up with her in the fraggin' first place!', followed by another wrench, and then he snatched the awful looking femme from Jazz and bolted right on past the two royal brothers all over again heading to the medical bay as if every demon from pit was after him.

It left the now six mechs standing there staring after him the two newest to join completely and utterly at a lost before they swung in one mirrored motion to look at the mechs they sent to find their last ditch effort to figure out a way to stop the Master.

"What in all of burning pit!?" Optimus yelled.

Jazz just kept on staring after where Ratchet ran for a few klicks while the twins rubbed their helms, and Ironhide crossed his arms then they all looked to their Prime and Lord High Protector.

"We don't know." Jazz answered softly. "That's how we found her."

"She was fine not twenty klicks ago when Soundwave found her on the video feed!" Megatron hissed.

"She _looked _fine when we found her too." Ironhide met his confused and angry optics. "But when we finally actually caught up to her," He waved a hand in the direction Ratchet ran. "That is what we found."

"Something," Sideswipe rubbed a hand down the back of his neck unsure of what to do with himself. "Is really wrong here, Boss Bot."

"You think?" Megatron snarled. He never had liked not knowing what was going on, and that hadn't changed just because they all decided to be on the same side again. He was confused and that was not a feeling the Lord High Protector enjoyed.

"Enough," Optimus snapped at all of them before Sunstreaker could come to his twins defense with a snarl of his own. "Only Ratchet can tell us what happened to her. Ironhide, Megatron please return to your previously scheduled activities. I'll comm you when I know something."

Megatron turned to his brother with a glare. "You whole brilliant plan is going up in smoke around you and you want me to go fly outpost rations to Kaon?"

Optimus matched his gaze. "If you don't mind. You're the fastest set of jet engines we've got here as of now and Bumblebee needs those rations as much as Arcee needs the medical supplies."

There was a moment of silence as they just continued to stare at each other before Optimus rolled his optics.

"Bee said he needed some help blasting through a Ground barricade as well."

And the slightest chance of blowing something up instead of sitting around here on his aft was all the motive the oldest royal needed. "See you in a few orns." And he strolled off toward the hangers to get what he needed to transport.

After his elder brother was gone he glanced to Ironhide. His old friend just shrugged.

"Still think your plan is going to work, Optimus?"

The Prime forced himself not to swallow harshly. "Yes."

The big black mech that knew him better then he knew himself in some ways just let his optics run over him for a few klicks before he nodded and head off toward the weapons range. "I'll be with the new recruits when you need me."

After his massive shoulders had disappeared behind another door the Prime turned his optics back to the three left.

"What do you want us to do, Boss Bot?" Sideswipe questioned.

"Jynx is still your responsibility." He replied. "You will come with me and Jazz to find out if she's still breathing."

Spinning on his heels he left no time for them to reply. Only follow.

* * *

"AID GET THAT COOLANT READY NOW!" Ratchet was well past the point of even trying to be civil when he got the little femme into his medical bay.

_AGAIN_!

She was—pit he almost didn't know where to begin!

She was overheating, could hardly breath, was half delirious, leaking badly, and still trying to purge though it seemed she'd empty everything but her own tank acids and now that was trying to come up. Burning the insides of her intake tubes and pit knew what else. That slag wasn't supposed to come up.

Of course bots also weren't supposed to be leaking from the noseplate, hyperventilating, and melting down from the inside out either.

But for now all the CMO could focus on was he had to get her internal temperature down before her spark fried.

"It's run!" First Aid flung himself back through the doors of the back of the medical bay only to have Ratchet slide past him with the trembling form of Jynx in his arms before he dumped the little thing into the icy cold coolant.

And she screamed.

Jynx's frame suddenly came alive with agony as every sensor she had went into shock at the sheer onslaught of signals. Her burning up frame suddenly feeling like it was surrounded in ice.

It was agony.

"Calm down," Ratchet tried to get through her agony trapped processor. "It only hurts because you're so hot, Jynx. It'll get better just hang on."

Jynx just twisted and pulled weakly trying to get away from both Ratchet and First Aid as the mechs crouched around the deep tub curtained off in the back of the medical bay trying to keep the wiggling femme down under the coolant. It was the only chance she had as of right now, the medics not able to figure out what else was wrong with her until they leveled out her overheating frame.

But all Jynx knew as of right now was that they were practically killing her.

She'd suffered a lot of agony in her time—far worse than this—but right then was one of those times past pains didn't really make it through. She couldn't focus enough on anything besides the burning that had taken her over.

"P-please." She whimpered twisting as Ratchet got a good enough grip on her to pin her still with all but her helm submerged under the icy coolant. "Please!"

"Aid," Ratchet cast his dark optics to his red and white apprentice. "Get an IV going and get it in here. Get me a stronger scanner too."

"Yes, Ratchet." The shorter mech nodded, pulling his hands from the coolant and running back out into the main parts of the medical bay to find what his boss asked of him not even casting the mechs lingering in the door a glance.

In here the Prime was nothing but a mech.

The medics ruled here, especially when somebot was dying.

All others were just going to have to wait.

Ratchet cursed under his breath at the energon still slowly dripping down her upper lip, putting all his weight on one hand to keep her down—she wasn't strong enough right now to move him even if she wanted too so it didn't really matter—as he yanked the other one back up to reach into subspace. Pulling out a cleaning cloth he dipped it back into the coolant before gently starting to swipe at the burning up little femme's faceplate.

She hissed pitifully under her breath trying to wiggle away from him—seemed even like this touch was the last thing that she wanted—but Ratchet ignored her in favor of saving her life.

After he managed to clean her up a bit he washed the cloth back in the coolant watching the energon cloud into the light blue liquid before he rung it back out and draped it across her forehelm.

Shushing her quietly trying to make her understand that he wasn't going to hurt her. Once again it looked as if that was all she could assume of any around her, and as bad as that frustrated the yellow and red medic he had no time to worry about anything other than figuring out what was wrong with her.

Running one of his weaker scans over her didn't give him much. It only told him what he already knew. She was overheating, her frame couldn't cool itself down on its own, she had purged all the unused energon in her frame, and what she couldn't purge was trying to leak from her noseplate. They fuel becoming too hot in her frame to the point her inner workings feared it igniting so her frame was trying to get rid of it and whatever was doing this to her.

The only problem was that would kill her without an energon IV feeding it back in once she was cool enough for her frame not to fight it anymore.

She wasn't cooling down fast enough though.

He was going to have to do something else.

She was going to have to come down to protoform. Her plating was trapping the heat to her.

However, it only took his fingers straying to the manual medical clasps on a section of her abdominal armor for Jynx to come completely unhinged.

For a bot that could hardly keep her own head up by this point she sure did find a second wind at that. One that startled Ratchet to the point he almost let her fling herself out of the coolant, but with a quick snatch the two tone mech yanked her back down again.

"Easy!" He hissed. "You're alright, Jynx. You're alright. It's okay."

At that point she was no longer listening to him though, that or she just couldn't hear him anymore. He found himself bent double over that tub holding her weakening thrashing frame under the icy liquid as she mumbled nonsense sounds most of which didn't mean anything—at least not to anybot but her—they were just sparkbreaking pleading that pulled at the medic's emotions.

All she did was beg of him to let go, to please let her go. Over and over and over again.

Just like she'd done when Optimus got a hold of her.

Right now though, Ratchet was almost certain it wasn't him she was pleading too anymore.

No.

She was pleading to somebot else, somebot that had done far worse to her then hold her down in a tub full of coolant.

* * *

**You're starting to figure it out, Ratchet.  
**

**There is a lot more to Jynx then you mechs think. Maybe you should all be as observant as Soundwave. He should teach a class.**

**Hope you guys liked it and can't wait to hear what you thought!  
**

**Next chapter up next weekend. Hopefully.**


	7. Insanely Damaged

**Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers. Just the plot and OCs.**

**Hey guys. I just want to say you are all so, so very amazing! Your reviews mean the world to me and I thank you so much for them.**

**I'm so glad you're liking this.**

**And it's still Sunday here, so technically I'm not late. Updates will probably be on Sundays now just putting that out there. It's working out better this way. **

**Anyway, enough of me, please enjoy Ratchet and the others finally getting a clue. Even if its a tiny one.**

* * *

Chapter 7

Insanely Damaged

_Pain raced up and down her backstrut as a scream tore through her vocal processor. Arching against the acid burning through her veins as she twisted against the cuffs holding her down to the icy berth beneath her. _

_There was a voice. _

_That same taunting voice._

_Even like this she could hear him laughing._

_Even with pain disorienting her she could still hear him laughing. Still hear his taunting._

_Still feel his experiments holding her down, no matter how hard she struggled._

* * *

Ratchet snarled against the weak protest keeping the little femme submerged in the coolant while first Aid struggled to get her hooked up to an energon transfer while both mechs tried to keep the twisting and pulling form of Jynx under the liquid to keep her from slowly, and quite painfully dying.

She was a fraggin' nut, but neither medic wanted to watch her slowly melt her own core workings down as her frame fought something they hadn't yet figured out.

"Jynx," Ratchet hissed. "You have to be still! We're trying to help you! Damn it femme we're not going to hurt you. It'll be over—"

* * *

_"—soon." _

_Like she would ever believe that again._

_He lied. _

_He always lied._

_He said it would be over soon. That it would end._

_But it would never end._

_She'd forgotten how long she'd spent her orns strapped down to this same icy table while he poked and prodded and twisted and broke and did things that Jynx had long since told herself she didn't even want to know._

_The scalpels and knives dug into the same old wounds while she screamed and pulled with everything inside her weak, energon deprived frame._

_She was never going to get out though._

_Ever._

_She belonged to him. _

_They all belonged to him._

_It was easy to forget when it was you under the laser that there were others locked away in cells just like hers listening now to her scream as she had done to them._

_Their voices echoed every now and again over his. One in particular when he wasn't strapped down on the table next to her._

_She could almost hear him. _

_Screaming out for her as she tried in vain to free herself from the cold berth and the grip of chains she would never be able to break. She could hear him promising her that she would be okay. That he was there._

_Even if it wasn't out loud._

_Not anymore._

_It didn't have to be._

_She could feel him now in ways she never thought possible. Then again there was nothing that their captor couldn't do. Which was why she could feel him and he could feel her. Even under the mad mech's laser he shushed her and promised her. Reminding her that she was not alone. That he was there to share her pain. _

_Because they had been forced into the ability. _

_And gasping around all that was holding her she pleaded out for him to come and save her. Because she'd never be able to save herself._

_"Ar—" _

* * *

"Arsine."

Ratchet snapped his attention up at the whispered breath that left Jynx in a whimper as she tried pitifully to get away from him.

_Arsine? _ He narrowed his optics.

First Aid's confused whirl drew the CMO's optics back to his apprentice though.

"Arsine?" He wondered.

"I haven't the slightest." Ratchet admitted. It was either she was talking about the chemical . . . or . . . maybe it was a name. "She's delusional and dying. Both things we have to fix. Get a move on."

First Aid bounded into action again.

It was a frantic few klicks of whimpering, moving, ignoring the hovering bots at the other end of the medical bay, and Ratchet cursing under his breath before the CMO finally had Jynx's core temperature down enough to think she wouldn't offline within the next few nanos so he pulled her carefully up ignoring her whimpering protest and pleas for help that made Ratchet really kind of just want to start tearing his own audios out.

It was painful.

Listening to her beg.

He wouldn't hurt her.

He was trying to help her, but he could hardly touch her long enough to move her to a berth before she was screaming again trying to get away from him but not having the strength too.

What happened to that femme from the desert, the cell, the interrogation room, the one that took a swing at the twins more than once, that snarled insults at the Prime, the one that wasn't afraid of any of them, that didn't care, the one that had a record long enough to wrap half of Cybertron in paperwork, the glitched murderer that killed because she could?

What happened to Jynx?

Or more actually _who _happened to Jynx?

Because Ratchet was well past believing she was trying to get away from him.

She wasn't even really aware what was happening around her as of now. She wasn't talking to him. Not anymore.

No, she was begging somebot else to stop hurting her.

_Jynx_. _Begging. _

It just didn't make sense to him.

She'd been terrified when Optimus got a hold of her and she realized he was strong enough to force her to do what he wanted. Even if at the time the Prime had only wanted her to stop trying to kill everybot in the room.

She had reacted like he was trying to . . . .

Ratchet ground his teeth against the flailing and the things that were starting to add up in his helm.

"Magnetize her down." He snapped to Aid.

* * *

_"Magnetize her down!"_

_She flailed all she could, screamed, kicked, pleaded, begged, _cried_._

_But it changed nothing._

_The snap of magnetic holds had her no matter what she did. Arching against the hold trying to get herself lose all she managed to do was yank on plating and protoform that was already aching horribly. _

_Screaming when a cruel hand latched hold of her, digging in claws and ripping at the locked clasps under her plating that kept it attached to her protoform trying to force it to release even if she didn't want it too._

_"Please!" She cried out in a broken, horse from screaming, pleading voice. "Please not again! Please—"_

* * *

"—not again! Please!"

Ratchet snarled at her words, torn between stopping what he was doing just to make her stop saying things like that to him, and forcing her plating off so he could figure out what was wrong with her. Even if he was starting to get an inking.

In her processor he was pretty sure what was going on, and he hated that he was causing it, but it was this or she died.

And nobot died on his watch.

Not anymore.

Not now that the war was over.

He _wasn't_ losing anymore patients.

"I'm not gonna hurt you, Jynx." He told her softly, known she couldn't hear him but having to say it all the same. "I know you don't believe me, but I'm not. I'm trying to help you."

And with that he had the override code he needed making the latched on her chest plating over her spark snap lose. He needed it off to keep her spark cool—it was still far too hot for his liking—and so he could find out if she was damaged internally as First Aid scrambled on the other side of the berth from him sticking in needles between plating and pulling off other pieces so that he could keep doing what was keeping her alive.

An energon IV was already deep in her right arm and Aid was doing well to keep her still even with the magnetic hold so she didn't rip it out while he was running a test on the sample he'd gotten from her.

Which was kind of hard to do one handed while he was trying to keep her from ripping her own plating off. At this point though she could hardly lightly jerk herself away from either of them so the fighting was starting to become just light squirming.

But it was what both medics saw when Ratchet yanked the white plating over her spark off that stalled both mechs to the point the syringe in Aid's hand clattered to the floor with an eerie echoing sound in the suddenly quiet medical bay.

For a few far too long klicks both the medics just stood there staring down at the protoform metal that had been reveled to them before First Aid took an audible gulp stepping back from the berth as he gazed down at the whimpering femme.

"Ratchet?" He breathed.

But the CMO had no answer for him.

None at all.

Snatching his slightly shaking hands back from Jynx he gazed down at the patchwork horror that was the scars over and all around her sparkchamber.

"What the pit happened to her?" Aid mumbled.

Ratchet took a deep breath before shaking his helm slowly back and forth as he let her plating snap back into place to hide away the painfully jagged scars that littered the pale white protoform metal he had reveled. "I don't know . . . but this isn't what's wrong . . . at the moment. Check the test. We'll worry about this later."

Her whimpers weren't doing either of them any good.

It took another seventeen klicks of sticking needles, testing energon, and trying to calm a whimpering Jynx that was not scared of him but of somebot else before Ratchet realized what the femme had gone and done to herself. She had taken CN and it hadn't been a good batch—really he should have realized that klicks ago but he hadn't—and he raged about it all for another breem as he detoxed the foolish little femme.

It made him want to beat her over the helm with a socket wrench!

How could she be so fraggin' stupid!?

Wait.

No.

Scratch that.

He knew why she was so fraggin' stupid; she was a fraggin' glitched psychopath.

At least, he thought she was.

After what he saw a little while ago he wasn't so sure what to think of her now.

Scars like that . . . _he _didn't even know what would do that, or more accurately _who _would do that.

It was horrible.

Just one short look and he knew how much agony that must have caused, how much it probably still caused. Even her spark-glass, the small bit of protoform metal everybot had over the center of their spark to let a dim amount of the light from the spark shine through, was shattered, cracked, and scared over. That alone would ache.

Every orn or her life it would ache.

Unless . . . unless she diluted it.

Which made her use of CN a little more understandable.

Not that he was agreeing with it.

No, he wanted to strangle her for it, but he had already imagined just how much pain she must be in all the time. Weld scars as jagged and deep as that didn't just get forgotten. Without the proper help they would ache forever.

And somehow Ratchet knew she hadn't had the proper treatment after wounds like that.

She had just been left to suffer, every orn for the rest of her life.

If that was true . . . it explained a lot that the medic hadn't considered before.

What none of them had considered.

That maybe . . . maybe.

Maybe Jynx wasn't so glitched after all.

Maybe she was just . . . hurt in ways none of them had thought to wonder about.

* * *

Optimus wasn't sure how long he Jazz, Prowl, and the twins had hovered in the back of the medical bay listening to quiet screams and whimpers as Ratchet worked to keep his latest investment alive, but he was aware that it had been too long however long it was. He felt utterly and completely useless.

Standing there leaning against a surgery berth listening to the cries of a femme that had had the bearings to stand up to him and his bots time and time again. The fire filled little femme that hadn't backed down from anything until he'd had her pinned against his chest.

Right about now he was missing that Jynx.

Because the quite whimpers in the back of the bay were doing nothing but making him want to pull his audios out. He had never taken suffering well. It just wasn't in his programming to be able to sit back and listen to it. He had to do something to change it. He had to help those that needed help, no matter who they were.

For now though he was utterly useless.

There was nothing he could do.

No help he could offer.

He didn't even know what was really happening behind that drawn curtain. He didn't know if Jynx would live or die, and for most of the on stretching orn he was pretty sure Ratchet didn't know either.

But the medic had long since gone to refusing to let bots die.

Ever since the war ended the seasoned war doctor was well past done with seeing life leak out all over his table. As far as he was concerned there was now no reason for bots to die in droves or one at a time.

And he was right.

That was why the ongoing battle with the Underground and the neutrals was frustrating the medic so. Frustrating them all so.

They had all seen enough of war, of death, of needless suffering.

They were more than ready for something new.

It was one of the reasons Optimus was so bent on making this deal with Jynx work. With her help they could end it.

They could finally have _real _peace.

Cybertron could be a home again.

A place creators could raise sparklings in safety and happiness could begin to grow again, outside his heavily guarded gates.

It was all Optimus wanted now.

Peace.

A chance at maybe going on to live in content happiness in a small little town house with Elita by his side and maybe a sparkling or two in their future.

They had the chance now.

It was an option.

And he even had the possibility of sharing it with his brother.

With Megatron.

He would never be able to put his happiness over that into words. How much joy it brought him to look over and find his older brother there. Not even doing anything of any importance.

Just leaning against a balcony rail beside him watching the sunset over the land they were rebuilding together.

He had long ago banished that hope of ever having his big brother back in this life, but after a life altering trip though a black hole to face the horrors that was The Nebula that had all changed.

It had freed Megatron of that deal he had made to a monster, the choice that turned him into one, and left him to wake up in time to save his little brother from the battle he wasn't going to walk away from.

The battle with the bringer of darkness himself.

It was sad really.

It took something like that for the two stupid glitches to stop hating each other long enough to see that they really were still brothers, that no matter how much hate they had conjured up for one another deep down they still cared.

Deep down, in a moment of clarity that they both had long forgotten, they would die for each other . . . even after they killed each other.

But even now after they had come home to try and make amends for their mistakes they found that would be easier said than done.

They found a dead planet that had gone right on spinning without them, and a population of bots that had reverted to a life that the corrupt council had long ago beat out of the open lands.

And Optimus couldn't blame them.

He and Megatron left there here to die when they jetted off into space to kill each other. They left them to fend for themselves in a world that was falling down around them because they would not pick sides in their sibling bickering match that was killing their own bots in droves.

And while the warlord and the Prime had been gone a new power rose up to take their place. One that even now battled them back like they were rookies in a training exercise. Cybertron belonged to _them _now, not to the royal brothers. They had lost it when they destroyed it and even now that they were trying to make it better, trying to bring everything back to the way it should be, they found that they couldn't because bots they didn't even have a designation to blame let alone a faceplate were outsmarting them at every turn.

They were losing.

Losing a battle they couldn't afford to lose, which was why they needed the high strung glitch that they found in the desert, but from the sounds that Optimus found himself trying desperately not to listen too as he leaned against that berth he wondered if maybe she needed them as much as they did her.

Because the fearless femme that all that knew her name feared was not the femme that was whimpering behind a curtain across the medical bay from him.

No, the Jynx he was seeing now was far from the one he met in that interrogation room. The Jynx that called him out for all he had done wrong, stood up to the wild unpredictability that was Jazz, and took chucks out of the twins both physically and verbally.

The femme that had come in, leaking and dying in Jazz's arms was not that Jynx.

This Jynx . . . this Jynx needed help.

* * *

There was nothing more he could do for now.

As much as Ratchet hated admitting that with every fiber of his spark and frame it was true. The fragged up chemicals that were killing her had been flushed from her system, but the damage had been left behind. Once she woke up she would be weak for a few orns and even now Ratchet knew that meant she would be unpredictable.

He had already figured out enough to know that when Jynx felt threaten is when she fought back the hardest, and when she couldn't use her skilled frame she used that tongue of hers. They all already knew she could cut deep with that.

It was going to be interesting to see how she reacted when she woke up, but Ratchet was going to try and make this as easier on her as he possible could. He'd taken the magnetic hold off her. So maybe she'd wake and not completely panic again.

It was worth a shot at least.

She wasn't even going to be strong enough to pitch herself into the floor when she woke up after the toll the transfusion took on her mini frame. So he wasn't all that worried about her hurting somebot. He was far more worried about her hurting herself.

It would just all depend on how she behaved when she came too.

That wasn't going to be until probably the next morning though. They had time.

Time for Ratchet to lean there against the berth she lay on, unconscious and finally still. She should look peaceful, she should be resting, but she wasn't.

Ratchet knew enough about pain locked away in processors to know it when he saw it.

She wasn't resting.

The pull of her frown and the dark tint of her visor even while she was in all reality dead to the world said enough.

She was lost in a world of pain that the yellow and red mech really found that he didn't want to know what was.

Not after what he had seen a little bit ago.

It had accrued to him to wonder what might be under the rest of that plating, but he knew better then to let his hands wonder to find out.

What he and First Aid saw when he pulled off her spark armor was never supposed to be seen. Not by them at least.

He could only imagine what Jynx was going to do when she found out they knew what she was hiding, but at the same time he couldn't just leave it.

He couldn't just leave her to what she had done to herself either.

Through the process of detox he and Aid had learned from the chemicals they found that she'd taken seventy-eight blend.

Seventy-eight!

That stuff was like fraggin' acid!

It ate away from the inside out, not even taking into account what it did to processors and sparks. It was CN for crying out loud!

It was poison!

It was death.

From what their scans had found it was very much on its way to killing her too. The amount of damage that was in her inner workings and veins alone had had Aid's hands shaking as he scrolled through the data.

It was a wonder she was still alive really. Especially after how she had reacted to the bunch she'd gotten this time.

And it was a bunch.

Melting in the scrap-bin a few feet behind the CMO.

He'd found the stash she had in her subspace, and he'd screamed at the wall where he flung it for a long few klicks afterward.

She had enough CN in there to dose up for a decacycle!

Enough—that with the state she was in internally, not even taking about to processer damage and spark damage that they had yet to check for—that with the damage she had caused to herself after very obvious vorns and vorns of taking cyber-narcotics she'd probably be dead by the end of ten orns if she kept it up.

She just had too much damage to her system.

From what the medics found she'd been using CN in higher and higher does and potency levels every orn for a very long time and the repeated presence of the drugs in her systems was destroying her from the inside out.

And she had to know that!

Banging a fist down against the berth he glared into that dark visor that he was looking down at as First Aid was checking over vitals on the other side of her berth from him. The apprentice didn't even look up at his mentor's action.

He knew that Ratchet wouldn't hit her, not after all they had found . . . well at least not while she was in recharge. When she woke up though, that was going to be a different story.

Because Ratchet was pissed.

There were quite a few things that got the gruff medic worked into a state, but the one above all else that had him chasing even Megatron and Prime around the compound with a welding torch was blatant stupidity.

Taking CN to the point it was slowly destroying a bot from the inside out was an action Ratchet saw as bordering on the imbecilic.

And he had never been all that kind to blatant idiots.

Which was why the apprentice medic knew he was standing there after they had stabilized her glaring down at a faceplate not at all at peace and just stared.

It wasn't often Ratchet didn't know what to do, but every now and again a situation rolled around when it actually happened.

He never took those orns well.

"She's stable as of now." First Aid said softly, turning to the yellow and red medic as he shook his helm back and forth slowly glaring down at the little femme laying on the berth before him.

For a femme that had absolutely terrified the apprentice medic the orn she woke up in the medical bay she didn't seem all that terrifying now.

"I know," Ratchet grumbled lowly.

"She'll be out until probably tomorrow." Aid went on stating the obvious. He didn't know a better way to ask his mentor what they would do next.

"Most likely." Ratchet agreed.

"Ratchet," The red and white mech sighed, lifting his helm to meet his dark, wise optics.

The CMO glanced up.

"What are we going to do?" He finished.

"I'm not sure yet." Ratchet sighed, and Aid knew just how much he hated saying something like that.

* * *

Sideswipe hated being useless.

He hated it more then he hated anything else.

Even over boredom, idleness, and silence.

Being useless was what he hated the most in this whole screwed up universe, and useless was what he currently was.

Sitting cross-legged on an empty berth while Sunstreaker leaned beside him neither of the twins had made a sound since they heard Jynx scream that first time. All they could do was listen. To every pitiful whimper and gasped cry that drifted around that curtain at the other end of the medical bay.

They felt like they failed.

Failure was not something they handed well.

Not just Sideswipe. It was Sunstreaker too.

Optimus had trusted them to take care of Jynx, and that hadn't really gone all that well. When the three of them hadn't been trying to kill each other they lost her and then when they found her again she was dying in an alley. That wasn't doing their job very well in either of the twins' books.

No matter how much the tiny femme got under their armor they took what those they respected told them to do very seriously. They had been trying to make it work. Trying to please Optimus by looking after the high strung little glitch, but she made Sunstreaker's bad orns look like sparklings playing tag.

She was violent and unpredictable all the fraggin' time.

It wasn't like they didn't know how to handle that though.

No.

It was the very opposite.

That side of her they knew how to go toe to toe with. They could play that game as well as she could and between the two of them they could keep her in her place.

It was when the switch flipped and that terrified young femme came out that both of them balked. They didn't know what to do with those panic filled silver optics.

They didn't know what to do with her.

How did they control something that seemed to have no control over herself?

How did they protect something that didn't seem to want to even save herself?

She was running from something, both the twins knew what that was like well enough to recognize it when they saw it. They just didn't know what it was. No bot here did.

And it was something they were going to have to figure out before any of Optimus' idea were going to work.

That and what the frag she had done to herself in one night on the streets of New Iacon to end up half dead by the time they found her? It was New Iacon for damn sakes! There was nothing in this whole city to _do_ let alone get half dead with.

At least, not that they knew of.

Then again the way Jynx had talked in Jazz's office there might be a lot they didn't know of. Like how it was this happened to her.

And by the look on Ratchet's faceplate when he stormed out from behind that curtain Sideswipe had a feeling that Optimus wasn't going to like the answer the CMO had.

"Ratchet?" Optimus stood up straight as the two tone medic appeared cleaning his hands on a cloth.

The medic's optics found the Prime's and just held them for a klick before he shook his helm tossing the cloth onto one of his many tool covered counters as he scowled down at the tile covered floor before turning his glare back to the Prime.

"She'll live." He answered with a hiss.

"Don't sound so thrilled about it." Prowl tilted his helm.

Ratchet just growled. "I'm still debating killing her when she comes too so as of yet no promises how long she'll stay that way."

"Hey," Sunstreaker rumbled. "If anybot gets to kill her it's gonna be me."

"No bot is killing her." Optimus snapped at both of them before turning his attention back to Ratchet. "Now what the pit is wrong with her?"

"She had about eleven quarts seventy-eight blend CN in her systems and it was chemically unstable, you know on top of being potent enough to meltdown mechanisms from the inside out and chew through internal wiring as well as tubing and energon lines. She over dosed Prime might not have been that she took too much, but the dose she had was screwed all to pit."

"She's on CN?" Sideswipe muttered his optics widening.

"Oh yeah," Ratchet nodded. "And a lot of it. She had enough doses in her subspace for another decacycle."

"But you checked her subspace when we brought her in from the desert." Jazz argued.

"She didn't have it before last night." Ratchet rolled his optics.

"Are you suggesting she got enough CN seventy-eight bend, the second most potent blend there is, out on the streets of _New Iacon_ last night?" Prowl's doorwings flared up rigidly behind him.

"No, Prowl, I'm not suggesting it. I'm saying it. That's just where she got, because Soundwave swears she didn't leave these gates." The medic replied. "Besides, you think if she had gotten out of this city she would have come back? Your deal is good Optimus, but I don't really think it's the only thing going on in that processor of hers."

Jazz slumped back on the berth he was leaning against letting his helm tilt back as he stared through his visor to the ceiling. "She wasn't just making up an excuse in my office was she? There really is something going on we don't know about."

Ratchet snorted. "There is a lot we don't know about that femme, and a lot going on we don't know about."

* * *

_Energon dripped in a steady stream down her front._

_Again._

_But it was nothing new._

_By now Jynx was use to the pain. It wasn't the first time she'd had her chest carved open and that monster had dug around and played with the pulsing orb of light that was on the inside. Really, she should be over it. She didn't even know why she bothered screaming anymore. No amount of it was going to make him stop, and there was nothing the few sparks in this pit that actually gave a damn about her could do to stop it. _

_So why did she even try?_

_It wasn't like she was the only bot in here that he chained down to a table, sliced them open, and played with._

_She wasn't his only lab rat._

_. . . she was just his favorite._

_Her and Arsine._

_Because they were the ones that had worked. They were still breathing, which was more than could be said for all the others he'd done this too so far. None had ever made it as far as they did._

_It was a fact Jynx was jealous of. _

_She'd rather be dead then where she was now, but that wasn't exactly new. She'd wanted to be dead for _vorns_. The fact that the experiments were working only drove that point home. There was no point in wishing for it though. He'd never let them die. Especially not now. Not when he was so close to perfecting his abominations._

_His new toys._

Them.

_Listening to him laugh as he sliced into all of them said enough to tell Jynx that he was almost done. He had almost perfected them and he was using what he got to get close with a few others. _

_Maybe she should be glad of that._

_Once he finally finished what he wanted, maybe it would end . . . ._

_She banged her helm back against the cold grey wall behind her sinking down further into the pool of her own energon that had gathered beneath her._

_It was a stupid thing to wish for. _

_She knew very well it would never happen. Even when he was done and her and Arsine were finished it wouldn't end. It would never end._

_They would just move onto the next stage. Whatever that was._

_He talked about it sometimes, when he was elbows deep in her energon digging around and cutting things up inside her sparkchamber. It was kind of hard to pay attention to the things he said at those times. She was usually too busy trying to make herself pass out . . . not that he ever let that happen._

_Let her escape into unconsciousness? _

_Ha!_

_Yeah right._

_Like that would ever happen._

_He enjoyed hearing her scream far too much to allow something like that to happen. Which was why no matter what he did she would always survive it. He was a twisted bastard that could break anything, but he wouldn't be the successful mad scientist that he was if he couldn't keep his play things alive._

_That was why he would never let her or Arsine die._

_Not now, not ever._

_They were the closest he'd ever gotten to what he wanted and pretty soon they would be just what he wanted._

_Which meant this lifetime of living between a cage and his surgery berth would not be ending, it would only be beginning._

_For when he was done, well and truly done, and they were everything he had been working for . . . ._

_Then . . . then what would she be?_

_What would they all be?_

* * *

Optimus stared down in silent horror at the image on the data pad before him. Ratchet had asked him, Prowl, and Jazz to talk privately with him leaving the twins and Aid to look after the still recharging Jynx down in the medical bay.

They'd taken this talk to his office where Elita joined them, because really there was no secret that Optimus could keep from his sparkmate, and really Ratchet wanted her opinion. And since Jazz and Prowl led the divisions that Jynx would be working the most with it made sense that they also learned what he had found, and what he was planning to do.

For something had to be done, or this was all for nothing.

It was then the Prime took a deep intake as he tore his optics back to Ratchet while Jazz snatch the pad his own optics widening behind his visor.

"Oh Primus," Elita whispered, hand flying up to cover her moth as she glanced between the medic and her mate.

"Just about what I said." Ratchet sighed.

"What . . . ." Jazz mumbled. "What happened to her?"

"No idea," He shrugged. "Those scars are old. Some more so then others, but all of them by a good hundred something vorns, and there no telling what the rest of her protoform looks like. I didn't go digging much further. Sorry, but I got a little tired of the delirious begging for me to leave her alone. I stuck with keeping her from dying for now."

"Vorns old," Optimus shook his helm slowly back and forth. "Ratchet she's what, fifty maybe eighty vorns older then Bumblebee? She's grown but not by long. Why the frag—"

"Does she look like somebot took a hacksaw to her sparkchamber? Probably because they did." Ratchet growled out. "I think you're forgetting one tiny little detail here, Optimus. She's a neutral, she's from the desert, and she got _left here_. While we were all out blasting each other to pieces on mud ball worlds everybot that was left here was tearing each other apart for energon that they had no way to get. They fought there own war while we were gone. They killed each other in droves. Seems to be all Cybertronians have come to know how to do anymore. Besides, there is a lot more going on here then we think. It wasn't me she was begging back there, Optimus. It wasn't you she was afraid of in the interrogation room. Did it ever accrue to anybot in this room that maybe the glitched femme isn't so glitched? I'm not saying she isn't screwed up to pit and back, because there is a lot wrong with her, but those scars _hurt_. She's in pain all the time, she hasn't had any real treatment for those, they were left for her self repairs to try and fix, but wounds like that don't heal on their own. Wounds as deep as that don't heal easy; they leave behind a lot of damage. We all know something about left over battle scars."

"Can you help her, Ratchet?" Elita asked softly.

The medic crossed his arms. "I don't know if she'll let me. She doesn't trust anybot, and with scars like that I don't really blame her. Every scar tells a story, we all know that, and those most likely tell a pretty dark one."

"And onto the matter of that there are the issues of where she got that CN." Prowl's doorwings were still held painfully ridged as he tore his optics from the image of those scars. "And whether or not your deal still stands, Optimus. I doubt the fact that Ratchet and First Aid saved her life is going to mean much to her. A bot that takes seventy-eight blend as much as the damage you say she had internally suggest, Ratchet, doesn't care much for their own life."

"There are still too many secrets about her for any of us to be assuming we know a damn thing anymore." Leaning back in his office chair Optimus contemplated to the far wall. "And I doubt we're going to be finding out everything she had to guard anytime soon. Soundwave is right. She's a runaway, and we don't yet know what she's running from, but the Underground dead has caught her attention. I say we go on trying to keep that option of us being able to help her accomplish that in the forefront of her processor. It's the only thing going to keep her from slaughtering somebot."

"You still want to do this?" Prowl questioned.

Optimus' bright optics danced over to him. "Now more so then ever."

"Optimus," The Chief Enforcer sighed. "Not even you can save everybot."

"She needs help, Prowl." Elita cross her arms to the two tone doorwinged mech. "We can't just ignore that."

"She doesn't want help. Haven't any of you noticed that?" He huffed. "You can't help a bot that doesn't want it."

"Never stop me before." Ratchet snorted at him.

"Prowler," Jazz glanced up to his sparkmate who's dark blue optics drifted down to his visor in response to the nickname. "This is our fault."

Prowl's doorwings flexed even higher in confusion before he narrowed his optics. "How the pit is it our fault?"

"Everything that happened on this dying rock after we all jetted off into space is _our fault_." Jazz answered. "Autobot _and _Decepticon. We left countless innocent bots here to die because they wouldn't chose which ships they wanted to die on for a cause they didn't want to die over. We left them here starve, to take each other apart to survive. And that is just what they did. Those left out there living like they are in the desert, they are the ones that survived, and they did so by killing each other. Optimus said it himself. She's not that much older than Bumblebee. _Bumblebee. S_he grew up in this war, and by the looks of her she probably did it the hard way. All she knows is how to fight; she doesn't trust us not to hurt her because probably that's what everybot does to her. She's a little mini-femme, you really think this fragged up world hasn't been pit to her? But she's survived! Pit she survived whatever or whoever did that to her fraggin' sparkchamber! She isn't going to lay down and take anything, but that's just what I've seen. I don't like the mood swings and the real danger she is to everybot anymore then you do, Prowler, but I'm no bot to judge how much somebot else deserves a second chance. Or how much they deserve help. And help is what she needs, as much as we need hers. She got CN in our city last night. _CN_! Cyber-narcotics! And I wanna know where the fraggin' pit she did."

"I want to know as well." Prowl conceded. "And I'm not arguing you the option of a second chance, I'm saying how do you all plan on doing that? She bolted the first chance she got."

"But she was coming back." Elita argued. "She wouldn't have been that close to the compound if she wasn't."

"I won't argue that." Prowl nodded before his optics danced between his Prime and the CMO. "But I will argue how much she's going to be willing to do anything we need her too. CN addicts don't just flip a switch and go clean, are you going to let her go on dosing up after this morning?"

"No that has to—"

Ratchet cut the Prime off. "Leave that to me."

Optimus turned back to him with a curiously lifted optic ridge. "Too you? What are you going to do, Ratchet?"

"She's not the first bot we've had come strolling into our lives that has had a taste for CN."

No.

She certainly wasn't.

This wasn't Ratchet's first go around with CN addicts. He had an idea of what had to come next.

"Touché." Prowl inclined his helm. "But that doesn't answer the question."

"If you can make a deal with her, Optimus, so can I. I'm not going to stand by and watch her poison herself because she's trying to numb how much she hurts, in whatever way it is she hurts." He began. "As long as it's alright with you I've got an idea. One the twins can help me with. If you'll leave her to me in the medical bay for a bit I'll see if I can pull this off. If I can't . . . then we might just all be out of luck."

"I refuse to except defeat in this." Optimus' gaze hardened.

"I figured you might feel that way." The medic nodded. "Just don't question how I'll get it done."

"As long as she doesn't go on a psychotic rampage I'll bow out to your medical expertise, my friend." The Prime cracked a smile. "But . . . what do you have in mind?"

"Honestly?" Ratchet let out a breath. "I'm planning to try what I tried with Sideswipe and Sunstreaker."

"You think you can ration her?" Jazz tilted his helm.

"Maybe."

"Might be easier said than done." Prowl warned.

"Well it wasn't easy with the twins, Prowl." Ratchet admitted. "But we pulled it off. They were using it as a distraction. I've got a feeling she doing the same, as well as a pain killer. If you add up how she's acted over the last orns and take into consideration that the whole time she's been here she's been sober a bit of a pattern appears. She's been one extreme to the other, rage to panic, and then the first chance she had to go outside she bolted. Then comes back higher than a celestial comet. She went looking for a hit, she _needed _one. Whatever it is about the twins being twins fries a wire with her. That on top of the rest of us backing her into a corner she is—"

"Just reacting." Elita finished, the facts clicking together in her optics the same time as it did with the others.

"Yes."

"And she afraid of us." Jazz nodded slowly. "At least she's afraid of us being able to keep her from fighting back. From defending herself."

"Because she still thinks we're going to hurt her." Optimus went on.

"Because she has to be in control of herself." Prowl corrected making all optics turn toward him. "That's it isn't it, Ratchet? She's afraid of not being in control."

"It's just a guess." The medic shrugged. "But that seems to be the pattern yes. Every time she's been restrained she's gone completely glitchy. She's terrified of somebot having power over her and her not being able to get away. After listening to her while I was trying to fix her and seeing what's under his plating I'm pretty sure we all know why. Somebot out there did this to her, Optimus. She is the product of something else."

"You don't think she's insane." It wasn't a question as Optimus straightened in his chair, his bright optics calculating.

Ratchet lifted an optic ridge. "Is Sunstreaker insane? Is Jazz insane?"

The saboteur cracked a smile. "That dear friends is still up for debate. On both accounts."

That drew a quite laugh from Elita One while Prowl cast his mate a warm grin before rolling his optics at him. "You're not insane, Jazz."

That blue visor flashed playfully. "I sparkbonded with you."

"Yes, but that was just sheer recklessness not insanity."

"That does just about sum me up doesn't it?"

"Yes,"

"But what does it say about you, Prowler?" His optic ridges wiggled behind his visor as he let lose a sparkling smile to the taller mech beside him.

For a nano or two Prowl was silent as he stared down at the charming grin before he flashed one of his own. "Low standards."

Jazz's jaw fell open in mock horror while Elita burst into giggles as Optimus chuckled and Ratchet rolled his optics to hide his own smile.

"Will you two knock it off, this is important." The medic grumbled.

By then Jazz was half way through trying to tackle Prowl to the ground while the bigger mech caught him in a helm-lock and wrestled him around in front of him doing a very rare thing for the once SIC.

He was playing.

In public.

And Bumblebee was no where around to be the cause of it.

Jazz wished he wasn't currently being held by his throat so he could get a picture of this. He'd just have to hope Optimus or Elita loved him enough to snap one for him and beg them for the blackmail later.

"Oh mute it, medic." Jazz laughed around Prowl's arms wrapped around his neck. "You're just jealous."

Prowl realized his bonded then with a gentle shove. "Behave, Jazz."

"Behave?" The silver mech huffed. "You started it."

"No I finished it, now we have business to discuss stop acting like a sparkling."

Jazz faked a pout; full on arms crossed and clawed peds tapping. "I want fun Prowler back, ya're mean."

"Not mean," Prowl felt his doorwings twitch in amusement, but he paid them no mind. "Professional."

"Yeah," Jazz mumbled. "Professional buzz kill. I'm telling Bumblebee."

"Go right ahead." Prowl did not fear the small yellow mech.

"You two both act like a pair of sparklings." Ratchet snorted.

Jazz flashed a playful glare though his visor. "Ya just jealous 'cuz Arcee is still in Kaon."

The medic huffed.

He refused to justify that.

Even if it was right.

Optimus saw the look flash though his old friend's optic all the same though just as he felt the longing pass through his mate. Elita missed her sisters as much as Ratchet and Ironhide missed their mates. And they all missed their little trouble maker of a sort of grown youngling.

They would be home soon though.

Ultra Magnus was going to take over the Kaon outpost soon and the shifts would change.

"Do what you have to do, Ratchet." Optimus granted the CMO. "We need her, and if anybot can help her it's you. While you're doing that Jazz, Prowl, and I will see what we can decide to do about how we're going to pull of this letting her into the intelligence department."

"Consider it done."

* * *

"You're gonna do what?" Sideswipe bounced off the berth he'd been sitting on to stare at the medic he trusted with big confused optics.

"Make CN," Ratchet didn't even turn around to answer the crimson twin. He was too busy digging through jars of chemicals while First Aid grumbled about stupid bad ideas over on the other side of the medical bay where he was trying to find the nitrogen compound formula that his boss needed.

Maybe it was true what the others said.

Maybe the young red and white mech _had _been spending too much time with his boss.

Ratchet chuckled at that.

"You're gonna _make _cyber-narcotics?" In disbelief Sideswipe rounded the medic, coming to stand beside him as he shuffled through the jars of chemicals.

"Isn't that what I just said, Sides? I swear do I need to replace your audios _again _because you busted them with that damn music?"

"Hey, rock and roll is cool!" Sides snapped.

Ratchet rolled his optics and went on with his gathering of chemicals. That is until Sunstreaker—who was still sitting in a chair beside Jynx's berth keeping a careful optic on her—spoke up.

"You're going to make her doses?" There was accusation in the warrior's tone, but Ratchet didn't blame him. He knew how hypocritical this seemed to the two of them. They'd been clean for vorns because he had forced sobriety on them a long time ago, but they both seemed to be forgetting a very important detail here.

He'd done this same thing for them.

"I did it to clean you two up didn't I?" The paused in his search to cast a look over his shoulder to the brooding mass of golden paint and narrow optics. Even from here the medic could feel how tightly Sunstreaker's EM field was strung. He knew the frontliner well. He knew both of them very well.

After all, he considered them his sons.

He knew how they both were going to feel about this, he knew how they felt about the femme, which was why he knew they would help in whatever way they could.

They didn't like failing, and failing was just what they felt like they had done when they came in with the femme this morning.

Sunstreaker snorted. "That's not the point here."

"Yes it is." Ratchet turned to face them both. "She's an addict and she needs help. We can't just cut her off from the slag, you saw what she did after three orns without a hit, imagine what she'll do if she wakes up and we say she has to go clean."

"She'll deal with us." Sunstreaker growled.

"Sunny," The medic sighed. "I know she rubs you the wrong way, I know you want to strangle her, but you agreed to this. You said you two could handle her."

"We can handle her." Sideswipe snapped. "And we understand your point, we're just saying Ratchet. She's glitched enough as she is, what's she going to be when you start rationing her? When you start trying to get her clean?"

"Do you think you can't keep her under control?"

"She makes one wrong move again and I'll gut her." Sunstreaker rumbled. "She's struck me for the last time."

"Tell us how you really feel, Sunstreaker." Ratchet snorted, turning back to his jars.

"I think she's fra—"

The quiet, pitiful really, whimper that drifted from Jynx cut the massive golden warrior off. Drawing his, his brother's and his adopted Sire's optics to the little white thing as she shifted on the berth she lay on. Free of a magnetic hold she could shifted around in her recharge and she wiggled about for a few klicks as if pitifully trying to escape something or somebot before she ended up balled on her side curled up as tightly as she possibly could be as tremors set into her frame.

The anger melted off the golden warrior's faceplate and his dark vivid optics softened despite himself. It was kind of hard to threaten something that looked so small and helpless. He was a warrior, not a monster.

And he hated what she said to them and what she had done to them. He hated her for it.

But he didn't understand her either, and he knew what it was like to be hated because you weren't understood. He was a twin after all.

Ratchet watched the golden warrior shift from anger to confusion as he watcher Jynx ball up and start shivering. It was a sight that pulled at spark strings. She looked downright helpless laying there like that, scared and alone.

And the medic knew better than anybot that the twins were not sparkless.

He'd rip the vocal processor out of anybot that dared to say they were. They were his sons after all, he would defend them.

But he would also remind them that they didn't always know everything.

"She's little, scared, and alone." Ratchet told him softly. "She's young, damaged, and afraid. She is need of help. She needs to be given another chance, and then after that she's gonna need another chance, and then probably a few more. Because she's going to keep on being what has let her survive this long for a while, no matter what. It's the only thing she knows. She's going to keep making mistakes, and we're going to keep on helping her whether she wants it or not. Partly because we need her, and partly because it's the right thing to do. Sound familiar?"

Sunstreaker tried to glare at him, but it was hard to scowl at Ratchet when he was right.

Sideswipe tilted his helm. "You're comparing her to us?"

"She's a lot like the two of you were when you showed up in my med bay, Sides." Ratchet told him quietly. "Did I give up on you when you kept messing up, when you didn't want my help?"

The red mech lowered his blue optics. "No."

"What did I do? What did we all do?"

"You helped us." Sides sighed. "You taught us. Even when we didn't want it."

"And look where we all ended up." Ratchet told him. "Can you imagine where we all be if this hadn't of happened? Can you imagine what would have become of the Autobots without the two of you there to dodge bullets and case mayhem? Because I don't want too. As much as I hate to admit it I'm a bit fond of the both of you, even if you do drive me fraggin' nuts. I'd turn you into lamp post if Arcee wouldn't have my helm it would be a lot similar and far easier on my nerves."

Both twins smirked before Sides yanked the two tone medic closer to him knuckling him hard on the helm. The medic snarled at him flailing and spewing threats while the red mech laughed keeping his grip for a few nanos before letting go and bolting to the safety of his brother. Once there he laughed, peaking over his shoulder and smiling.

"We love ya too, Wrench."

Ratchet—still puffed up and fuming at them—growled a few moments longer before shaking his helm and going back to the jars ignoring Aid trying to hide his snickers.

"My point is we gave you a chance when you didn't deserve it and you didn't want it, and then we kept giving you chances until you both figured out that it wasn't lies and it wasn't a trick and we didn't want to hurt you." Both brothers lowered their gazes a bit. "Now I know she rubs you the wrong way, I know you hate her and she hates you, but the truth is she's nothing but the product of something evil and she's reacting the only ways she knows how. Just like the two of you did."

"How do you know she's anything like we were?" Sunstreaker challenged. "We were gladiators, we were ruthless, but we didn't have a choice. I might have been well past sane when you found us, but we didn't enjoy killing. We didn't do it because we could. We did it because it was the only option we had. She fraggin' enjoys what she does! She's insane!"

Aid lifted his optics to his mentor in question.

There was a part of both medics that knew that might very well still be a real possibility, but the other part of them—the part that had seen those horrifying scars—wondered just how much over her was choice after all.

If the twins were going to go on being the ones she spent the most time with, the ones that were responsible for her, they needed to know what they had found.

They needed to know that Jynx might not be as twisted as they all thought.

She might just be in an insane amount of pain.

Ratchet stared calmly back into those angry blue optics before reaching into subspace and tossing the data pad he had showed to the others at the mech. Sunstreaker caught it with ease glancing between it and the mech.

"What's this?" He asked.

"Open the picture file on it." Was all Ratchet responded with before he took the jars of chemicals he need and walked over to First Aid where the other mech was starting to lay out the other ingredients they needed to make highly potent toxins.

Sideswipe looked between his brother and the data pad before reaching forward to swipe his finger across the lock bar watching the dark screen flicker to life before he tapped at the picture icon on the screen watching with curious optics as the app loaded only to real back in shock at the image that appeared on the screen.

Sunstreaker bolted straight as well at the sight of the scar ridden pale white protoform surrounding an insanely damaged sparkchamber.

Optics widening at the damage the twins shot each other a look before snapping their attention to the medic across the room.

"What the pit is this?" Sunstreaker hissed.

Ratchet didn't glance back. "That is Jynx."

Slowly the two warriors let their gazes slide over to the trembling form of the mini femme on the berth in front of them. Curled into a tight little ball every now and again a whimper escaping her unhappy faceplate. The land that Jynx was trapped in at the moment was not a happy one; there were no peaceful dreams in that processor.

There was something very dark that rolled through that processor, something she couldn't escape and one more shared glance between the picture and the femme and Sunstreaker shut off the data pad tossing it to the counter behind him. They didn't want to see it anymore.

It was awful.

"She looks like . . . ." Sideswipe didn't know what to say really, that in itself being a rarity.

"Somebot sliced her sparkchamber to pieces over and over again?" Ratchet grumbled as the chemicals he dumped together mixed with a hiss spewing red smoke in every direction making Aid cough and wave at the toxic cloud before he poured in the next batch of chemicals. "That's because somebot probably did."

"But," Sides mumbled. "That's . . . ."

"Cruel? Sparkless? Evil?" Ratchet offered. "All the above? Well it is. I'm not sure I want to know what the rest of her looks like. What might have really happened to her for her have marks like that makes my armor crawl. It's a cruel bot that does something like that to a sparkchamber. And that hurts, mechs. Every orn that hurts. She is in pain all the time. Might explain a lot huh?"

The twins stared down at Jynx curled up there trembling. There was no anger there, no sharp words, and dangerous claws. There was no fight, fire, _will _of any kind. There was only fear, pain, and helplessness. There was a young bot that didn't know how to do anything but fight everything that came her way.

There was a hidden story—a very damaged one—of a bot that really did just need help.

And it was quite obvious after these last few orns that she didn't know how to let anybot help her. All she knew how to do was fight, and when she realized she couldn't fight back she bolted.

She'd been brought to this strange place and shoved into the hands of mechs that she didn't trust and hated for what they were. Bots that fought back against her with the same anger she spewed at them because that was how the twins responded. They gave what they got, they always had.

It was the way they functioned.

It worked, but now all it had managed to do was chase the femme away to almost die of an overdose and leave her laying there in front of them trembling in a nightmare both mechs were sure they didn't want to know what might be about.

She was their responsibility and they had let her harm herself.

They still hated the things she said to them, but really they had no room to talk about reactions to those that tried to help when the help wasn't wanted. They'd been cruel and angry when the same was done to them.

It had taken them much longer than a few orns to figure out that maybe what was being offered to them wasn't a lie. What right did they have to puff up at her for not believing that these bots really might not be lying?

They didn't.

When she woke up she would still hate them, but they would try and help her.

Even if she didn't want it.

Because she needed help.

Their help.

So like it or not she was going to get it.

* * *

**And she's just going to _love _that now won't she?  
**

**Still, Sides and Sunny, gah I love those two.**

**Well, there we have chapter seven. The chapter Jynx is unconscious the whole time for. :) Fun right? **

**These bots might have found her scars, but Jynx has a whole lot more to hide. They're going to figure that one out real quick.**

**Next chapter will be up next Sunday. So please leave a review to tell me what you thought and I'll see you guys then.**

**Hope you enjoyed!**

**-Jaycee**


	8. Rational Agreements

**Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers.**

**Just the plot and OCs.**

**You guys are freaking amazing.**

**You just need to know that. **

* * *

Chapter 8

Rational Agreements

With a gasp she bolted upright, sucking in deep vent after deep vent trying to calm her trembling form as those dark purple optics flashed through her processor, along with a fading visor, and taunting red ones. Trembling and gasping Jynx shoved her palms into visor as if to beat the images out from behind her optics.

Because damn.

She _really _needed to stop waking up this way.

Optics narrowing behind her suddenly tinted visor Jynx let her hands fall as she glared up to the to white wall across from her trying to shake the images away from her far too clear processor.

A processor she didn't understand why was so damn clear!

To shake off the past she assessed her current predicament. She was back in the medical bay. The fraggin' medical bay!

How wonderful.

In the most horrific and scary way possible.

Trembling and fighting back a snarl the little femme swung her legs over the end of the berth—if that glitch Ratchet had been foolish enough to not magnetize her down she wasn't going to blow the chance to bolt—but the nano she put all her weight on her peds on the too clear white floors they fell out from under her. With a yelp she hit the tile floor with an even louder bang sending a flash of pain through her sensor-net as her processor swam in a cloud of dizziness that she didn't understand.

What the frag was wrong with her?

There was a rip of a curtain followed by a hiss and ped falls before that stupid red and white medic apprentice slid around the other side of her berth before he spotted her crumpled there on the ground.

"Damn it, femme." He snapped. "You couldn't just stay on the berth could you?"

Jynx hissed up at him trying to push herself up on her own, but only ended up tipping forward again and would have smashed into the floor if First Aid hadn't of caught her and hauled her back up.

She hissed even louder trying to struggle away from the mech's grip, the last thing she wanted right now was a bot's hand on her, but Aid didn't let go. And she came to see that she didn't have the strength to make him.

Fear flashed down her backstrut at the very idea of how weak she felt as she was picked up and placed back on the berth before she could even struggle enough to try and pry his white digits off her. That didn't stop her from snarling at him and yanking as hard as she could away once she felt the squishy berth beneath her again.

"Don't touch me!" She pulled away, or First Aid let her, she wasn't all that sure. He took a step away though letting her ball up on the berth, visor dark and claws digging into the sheets as her harsh glare shown through even the darkness of the glass that covered her optics. It truly was an impressive talent she had there and right now it was burning full force into First Aid's armor.

And it made it crawl.

This wasn't the trembling little femme from last night, and yet at the same time it kind of was. She was still very much afraid, and it was getting worse by the nano if the way she was gripping the sheets was anything to go by. Yet she wasn't helpless.

Weak and very confused, but not helpless.

Far from helpless.

First Aid wondered if she knew that.

"Easy," Taking another step back Aid raised his hands trying to make himself appear smaller.

Jynx just snarled, trying to back as far into the berth as she could with a frame that didn't want to listen to her.

What was going on?

"You're okay, Jynx." Aid went on, trying to make her see that he meant no harm. "Do you know where you are?"

"That glitched CMO's medical bay!" She growled. "What do you take me for an idiot?"

"No, but I don't know how much you remember."

"I remember you, you little glitch." Her glare burned even harsher though her visor. She was confused and scared. Too things that Jynx really kind of hated being. She wanted to know how the frag she ended up back on this stupid berth.

The last thing she remembered she had gotten a dose from that stupid oily glitch. How the frag did she end up back here?

But more importantly where were all the drugs she fraggin' sold herself to get!? Because it didn't take but a quick internal sweep to see that her subspace was terrifyingly empty.

"How did I get here!?" She hissed. "I ditched the abominations!"

She had been free.

Free and blissfully empty.

There had been colors and swirls and everything that wasn't that visor fading in the back of her processor.

She wanted it out!

She wanted it gone!

Forty something vorns and she'd kept that image at bay. She'd kept the voices, and the memories at bay in whatever ways she needed.

But now she was sitting here curled up on a medical berth with voices and faceplates flashing through her and she'd gut this whole damn city if that was what it took to make her optics stop stinging at the corners with something that she refused to justify might be tears.

"And yet oddly here we are."

Jynx swung to her left to find the forms of the twins leaning against the wall where the medic had torn back the sheet of fabric that separated her from the rest of the medical bay.

"Funny how that works." Sideswipe finished, tilting his helm to the side, dark blue optics sparkling as they watched her with something Jynx didn't let herself evaluate. She just balled tighter, letting her lip curl up in a snarl that the golden mech mimicked.

"Aren't you a bit tired of us all telling you to calm down?" Sunstreaker snorted. "When are you going to get it through your thick processor? If we wanted to hurt you, you'd be hurt. But we haven't have we? No. Ratchet and Aid fixed you. _Again_. So chill out and let the mech check your vitals."

For a moment all Jynx could do was blink at him.

That might be the longest thing he had ever said to her, and he wasn't trying to bash her against a wall which was new too, but as the words sank in they settled in a spiteful part of her tanks. Her visor flashed and her sneer twisted, but not a word came out before Ratchet appeared next to the twins with a look that made Jynx feel small.

"Aid," He spoke.

"Yeah?"

"You may return to your own bay now."

The red and white mech paused for the shortest of nanos before he nodded and left. Leaving the twins and Ratchet standing there staring back at Jynx while she let out a hiss.

She didn't know what else to do as the chief medic slowly made his way around her berth. His movements were ordered and clear. He was doing everything in his power to make her trust him not make any sudden move that she should fear.

But trust was for fools, and Jynx just narrowed her optics behind her visor, mindful of the twins that watched her carefully.

"How do you feel, Jynx?" Ratchet questioned as he reached the monitor to her side reading the data she couldn't.

She snorted to the stupid question.

How did she feel?

How did he think she felt!?

She felt weak, and variable. Two things that the little white femme despised being with every fiber inside her screwed up spark, but there was something more that she felt. Something that had her processor clear and her breaths shaky and uneven.

She felt sober.

_Sober_!

And she wanted to know why in all of burning pit she felt sober!

"What did you do to me?" She accused, making Ratchet look her way with a lifted optic ridge and a frown pulling at his lips.

"Do to you? I save your life. With First Aid's help." He told her.

"Yeah right." She hissed. "I didn't need your help! How did you glitches find me anyway?!"

"You don't remember?" The medic tilted his helm.

Oh she remembered alright.

Far too fraggin' much! That was the damn problem!

She twisted in the berth to glare at the two curses that stood there in all their mockery just watching her. As if they very existence didn't cause her agony. As if they deserved to be there.

This was all their fault!

Oh how she hated them.

She hated _all _of them. Every single fraggin' goody two shoe glitch that called this too pretty, too perfect city home.

But mostly she hated those two.

Because of what they were. Every stupidly _perfect _thing about them.

They were what he had wanted. They were what he had done this to her and the rest of them for.

For _that_!

For them! Those two glitches standing there as if they had every right in the world to be there. As if there was nothing wrong.

She hated that too.

Everything wrong about them.

She hated that the red one was so damn chipper, standing there with a small smirk as she seethed at him. She hated that he was so stupidly happy! What in this fragged up world was there to be happy about!?

She hated the gold one too, hated that he was so damn hateful. He had no right to glare at her the way he did, to get mad at the things she said. She was the _right _one. He had nothing to be pissy about.

She _hated _them.

She hated that they had each other.

Hated it, hated it, hated it!

She hated the image of the two of them standing there beside each other, _together_.

Because she was alone . . . and they weren't.

Because she no longer had . . . him.

Because when she looked at them she saw everything that had been taken away from her.

When she looked at them . . . she saw Arsine.

Claws digging into the berth beneath her she choked back the tears that rose in her throat. She would not cry. She would not.

She had not cried in over forty vorns, and she wasn't about to start now. She hadn't let herself think that designation in over forty vorns either though—it was damn foolish of her to start now—but that was a hard thing to keep up with a clear mind and nothing to cloud it and his visor—dull and empty—burning behind her optics.

He was gone.

_Gone_!

. . . and it was her fault.

It was all her _fault_!

Damn it all to pit she _would not cry_!

Hissing out a snarl to keep the sob from making its way out of her throat she flashed her optics behind her visor glaring at the pair of mechs that wouldn't get away from her, the harshness of that burning glare making the two mechs straighten.

The fire in Jynx was back.

Because it was easier to hate, to scream, to fight, to kill, to let her sanity prove just how far it really was gone from her reach.

It was easier then facing up to what was real.

So it was that psychotic fire that came out.

"So where did you find me then, glitches? Did you wait until it was over or did you drag me out of Plasmaburn's berth?" Their optics flashed, the words sinking in making Sideswipe's spark twist while Sunstreaker's resolve hardened and Ratchet's optics filled with pain.

They'd known she'd done something to get a subspace full of CN, but even Sunstreaker would admit that he had hoped it wouldn't have been that.

"Tell me!" She screamed. "Did you catch him too? Haul him back here against his will as well? Sad thing really. I had to lead you to his berth before you figured out what was in your so called perfect city. You're all pathetic! Stupid, and _ignorant_. You don't know anything!"

By the time she was done screaming she was panting out quick breath after quick breath. Her frame was tired, more so then she had thought, and her processor was spinning in every wrong way there was.

Maybe that was why she didn't realize how badly she'd just screwed up, until Ratchet spoke up on her other side.

"Who is Plasmaburn?"

Jynx went ridged as she slowly twisted back to stare into the medic's optics as he gazed down at her.

_Well . . . frag. _She thought.

Turning away as some of the tension melted out of her frame turning to defeat that she hated to show she mumbled. "Nobot."

Ratchet's gaze narrowed at her. "He's where you got the CN you overdosed on huh?"

Jynx bolted upright again, her sharp fangs flashing.

Overdose?

How dare he!

"I didn't overdose you idiot! I only had one hit! You can't fraggin' overdose on one hit!"

"You can when the chemical compound is so screwed up _I _don't even know what the glitch put in that needle." Ratchet snapped right back at her.

Chemicals screwed up?

She blinked.

Had she gotten a bad dose?

She . . . she didn't really remember.

She remembered striking a deal with the nasty mech, she remembered the sharp sting of the acid drugs, she remembered the blissful nothing that came along with it, she remember what she'd done to get it, but that was nothing new.

She'd done it hundreds of times before.

She'd do it a hundred more.

It was just the way it worked.

Most times she had no other choice.

And since she had no choice . . . it was easier to pretend that she chose it. Because if she chose it then it would hurt less to realize that she had no control over all of it. Even when she lied to herself and said that she did.

"I . . . I didn't get a bad dose." She wasn't stupid enough to take another screwed up needle. Not after what happened the last time.

"And you and I both know you don't believe that." Ratchet growled. "I wouldn't think you'd be one to lie to yourself, Jynx."

"Don't pretend that you know me!" She spun back with a renewed hiss, wishing she could leap off the berth and tear his optics out.

She could feel it now.

Her claws start twitching.

Her energon start humming.

That would blur her processor.

Energon rolling down her claws.

That would make it all go away.

The tears, the sounds, the name, the pictures. That would make them leave.

She could kill him.

Him and those damn twins, those _stupid, stupid, stupid _twins.

She could gut them and leave them laying there and her world would be colorful and empty and bright and swirling and so wonderfully not real again.

"We know a bit more then you might think." Sideswipe's voice drew her attention back, that look in his optics again as she met those vivid orbs with her visor, and that was when Jynx understood the emotion behind those optics.

It was . . . pity.

Pity?

Pity.

Pity!

_Pity!?_

He _pitied _her!?

Oh no way in fraggin' pit.

She did _not _do pity.

She didn't need it! She didn't want it! She wouldn't allow it!

Shoving every ounce of strength she had into a jump she actually didn't crash down to the floor when she landed on her peds this time, but she didn't make it to rip those optics out either. She hardly made it four strides before she felt her legs fail her. She slipped forward toward the floor again, but she never hit it.

A quick hand closed around her upper arms and hauled her back up to her peds and flush against a strong, warm, red chest. For a moment her helm spun, the dizziness and the weakness setting in making her sag in the big mech's grip before she realized where it was she actually was.

Tipping her helm up she found that silver faceplate tilted down to let those vivid blue optics stare into her visor as if he could see the huge silver orbs that were glittering on the other side.

"That didn't work out the way you planned it did it?" Sides chuckled, laughter being the only way he knew how to defuse a situation without coming to blows. He knew it probably wouldn't calm the femme, but it was worth a shot. At least long enough for him to get her back on the berth. Because so far touching hadn't really been all that high on her list of things to do. So what he was doing now wasn't going to make her too happy.

He couldn't just let her bust it against the tiles though.

Not after what he saw was hidden under her plating.

Not right now at least.

Because he could see the fear, even through that dark curved glass.

A part of her was still that shivering little femme that he watched through the night with his brother beside him. The anger, the fire, and the crazy had returned but now Sides could see what it was there to cover up. Just like Sunstreaker could as he stood tense and strung behind him, ready for whatever the mini femme would do next, but knowing that Sides was trying to prove something to her.

Feeling it in the bond that linked them.

He was trying to show the femme that they'd help her if she'd give them the chance.

But as usual when such a thing happened to her, Jynx panicked.

Throwing her weight backward trying to get the frontliner to release her as she hissed. However, the power to yank herself away was not in Jynx's frame at the moment. She wouldn't even still be on her peds if it wasn't for Sideswipe holding her up. That didn't stop the terror from racing down her frame though.

"Let me _go_!" It was more of a pleading beg then a command as she tried to twist away from Sideswipe's frame, but the crimson frontliner just hardened his resolve as she hissed and pulled and pleaded again while he just pulled her up enough to wrap an arm around her waist feeling her tremble and pull trying to get away from him.

Sides got her back on the berth as fast as he could, just trying to make it as lease traumatizing for her as possible. It only took about two and a half nanos to plop her down and back off, his gaze catching Ratchet's waving hand motioning him back to his brother in the corner while Jynx curled into herself as she shivered her gaze locked on the berth beneath her.

Helpless . . . .

It was not a feeling that Jynx handled well. Not in the slightest. It was a hard thing for her to be able to process.

After all this time.

After all the lies she had told, especially to herself.

After all she had done to escape this feeling. To escape everything that she remembered and all the feelings that came along with it.

Being helpless again was something that left her locked up—stuck almost—in that weak crumbling fortress that was her forced back past. The lessons of long ago sliding back into her processor and shutting her will to fight down. It wasn't as dramatic as when the Prime had pinned her, but the overall effect was the same.

Tired and weak and confused added onto the knowing that once again she had been mech-handled and put somewhere she didn't want to be was just too much the same for her to keep up the pretense of believing she stood a damn chance against the three that surrounded her.

It was just too much.

Too many memories.

Too many things she feared with everything inside of her to remember.

Taking a shaky breath she let it out as she curled her arms tightly around herself, glaring at nothing, and refusing to accept the knowledge that she was shaking. "You don't know _anything_."

"So why don't you help us?" Ratchet offered softly.

"Rust in pit." She mumbled.

"Your part of the deal was to help us, Feisty—"

"Don't call me that!" She snapped her helm up again, optics blazing as her voice grew some strength back. She didn't make much more of a move though. Just glared at the medic that stood just a few feet from her.

A little shocked by the abrupt change he figured he should probably just go on and get use to Ratchet nodded slowly lifting a hand in surrender. "Alright, I won't."

With that Jynx lowered her helm again and went back to glaring at her curled beneath her legs.

Taking another wavering breath she figured she might as well get on with asking. It was going to have to come to light sooner or later. "Shouldn't your dear Prime be the one in here demanding me to tell him where I got CN in his pretty city?"

"Optimus has agreed to let me talk with you first." He told her.

"Oh?" She dared a peak up at him. "And what do you want? Because if you think I'll spill my guts to you, you're an idiot. Telling you everything I know wasn't part of the deal for the job in the first place."

"The deal you will discuss in detail with Prowl, Jazz, and Optimus later. After I'm done with you."

That last part sent a shiver through her that she didn't hide well, but refusing to admit to the fear she just let her glare burn through her visor. What else was she supposed to do? Words like that struck an all too familiar cord in her memories, making places she had long since refused to admit were there flare with pain.

Damn she was too fraggin' sober for this.

Why did this have to happen?

She'd had a plan.

It was a brilliant plan too.

Didn't the glitch see that she couldn't do this? Didn't he see how much it hurt?

"What . . . ." She swallowed harshly, trying to convince herself this wasn't like then. She wasn't under _his _knives, but she wasn't doing all that great of a job. "What do you want?"

Ratchet could see how badly she was trying to not let the fear that he knew very well was surging through her show, but he'd done all this before, and after what he saw of her he figured expecting something besides the worst was not something she knew how to do.

So he was going to have to do this carefully.

And slowly.

Or she'd shut him out completely and they might as well jut turn her lose on the other side of the gates, because she'd never agree to help them again. Because he knew very well that the way she was right now she couldn't help anybot.

Especially herself.

Keeping himself a careful distance from her Ratchet was honest. "I want you to tell me how long you've been taking CN."

Now that actually made Jynx laugh.

A cold, dark sound that came from the bottom of her scarred and empty spark. A sound that help no real emotion besides bitterness, anger, and a cold defeat. It was a sound that made the twins want to shake her just to make it stop as she tilted her helm back shaking it at the ceiling, but before Sunstreaker had enough and started yelling at her it cut it out as abruptly as it started it stopped. Her helm snapping back down to let her visor pin Ratchet where he stood as an optic ridge rose up from under it and a joyless smile danced across her lips.

"And why in the pit of our pit damned creator do you want to know something as stupid as that?"

"Because I need to know how badly addicted you are."

"Addicted?" She snorted out another laugh, this one a bit richer as if she actually found something funny in those words. Because really she did.

That had to be one of the stupidest things anybot had ever said to her.

How addicted was she?

What kind of question was that?

"How badly addicted am I?" Jynx shook her helm back and forth. "You're the medic, glitch. You tell me."

Ratchet's optics narrowed. "Well from the damage I found I'd say you've been on the slag most of your function."

She sneered a smirk that could peal paint as she leaned forward, hovering into the mech's space as her claws flexed in the soft berth. "You're getting close."

That was about all the answer Ratchet figured he'd get, it wasn't much, but he'd take it. At least she was doing something besides sitting there shaking, or trying to take another swing at Sideswipe only to end up with him having to catch her.

At least maybe they could get somewhere now.

"Why?" He pressed.

_Why? _She fought down another chuckle as she actually embraced the idiotic believes that would actually lead a bot to ask something as foolish as that.

Why?

Why not?

And that was just what she told him.

"Why not?" She tilted her helm, her smirk growing more dangerous by the nano as she shifted around on the berth leaning more toward the medic as she faced him. Her back was to the two frontliners but she could handle that for now. Something told her they knew as well as she did that she didn't have the power to get out of that berth let alone do any damage. They weren't going to touch her unless she pissed _Goldie _off again or made a swing for the medic.

Unfortunately he was out of her reach.

"Why not?!" Ratchet slipped up by letting out a snarl lose at the stupid question. "Because it's killing you! Don't you understand that? Don't you know what seventy-eight blend does to the insides of a bot. Your inner mechanisms are so slagged up I really don't know how you're still alive!"

She huffed out a breath sitting back up right as she rolled her optics, mumbling under her breath. "Like that is the CN's fault."

The only problem was her mumble was caught by the highly tuned audios around her.

"Then what is at fault?" Ratchet asked, catching the words and refusing to let the chance slip by.

But like he figured, Jynx just bristled, her plating puffing up against her protoform as she snarled up at him. "None of your fraggin' business."

Normally he'd let her puff up and he'd back off, but getting what he needed to know might have to come at the cost of her temper flaring. He wasn't backing off now.

"I'm in charge of keeping your stupid aft alive, femme." He growled back at her. "That makes it my business."

"I don't need _you _keeping me alive!" She seethed. "I don't need any of you!"

"Really?" Sunstreaker snorted, making her twist back to glare in his direction. "Then where would you be if us and Jazz and Ironhide hadn't found you, huh? Where would you be if Ratchet hadn't fixed you? Like it or not you little glitch you'd be dead if we hadn't saved you!"

"I didn't ask you to save me!" Hissing, she tried to gather her strength again, but it was pointless. She wasn't going anywhere and the golden mech wasn't taking her bait. He just snorted even harsher as he lifted an optic ridge back at her.

"Well we didn't ask for the responsibility, but it happened all the same."

"Might as well just get over it." Sideswipe added with that stupidly charming grin of his lighting up his faceplate.

She seethed at it.

Stupid glitch.

She was wound tight again, claws digging in, and fangs flashing, but they just straighten to glare right back at her at the sound that was echoing in her chest. They weren't afraid of her.

And that pissed her off.

They were all supposed to fear her.

_Everybot _feared her.

She was insane.

She was violent, she was unpredictable, she was cruel, she was in control.

Here and now though even she knew that . . . she wasn't.

"So just do us all a favor and do what Ratchet says." Sideswipe implored her. "It'll make is easier on everybot."

She leaned back shaking her helm back and forth harshly. "In your fragged up dreams."

"If you don't you're never going to get out of here and you're never going to get a shot at the Underground." Ratchet's once again even voice drew Jynx attention back to find him standing there with his arms crossed watching her through guarded and calculating optics.

She just hissed in response to the words.

Because he was right and that pissed her off all over again.

"And you know I'm right." He finished softly watching the emotions flicker across that tinted visor in surprising clarity now that he had grown use to reading it. The piece of glass really didn't do her much good. She was just far too expressive for it to really keep them away from others' optics.

She wasn't the first bot he'd met that did that.

Hid behind a visor that truly did nothing for them.

All it did was hideaway the optics behind the glass, not the emotions that lived there.

Looking away she hissed out another breath unsure of what else to do.

They had her.

She knew that as well as they did.

Damn.

Stupid Ground.

Stupid lack of a ability to kill them on her own.

Stupid Prime for offering her something she couldn't walk away from.

Stupid, stupid, stupid-ness!

Letting out another heavy breath she looked back to the medic and asked the question again. "What do you want?"

For a moment he watched her quietly as if he was deep in thought before he reached into subspace, pulled out a needle of potent looking red liquid and tossed it at her. Catching it easily, Jynx's optics flashed with curiosity as she twisted the large needle back and forth in her sharp claws until she understood.

CN.

It was a syringe full of CN.

Seventy-eight blend to be exact, but it was the purest mix she'd even seen.

Looking up in confusion she met the medic's optics, confusion flashing through her visor so plainly to be seen.

"What the frag is this?" She mumbled.

"I figured to somebot like you that would be pretty obvious." He answered.

She scowled. "You, _you_, are giving me cyber-narcotics?"

"Yes."

Her jaw parted in disbelief just a bit. "Why?"

"It's the only way I know how to get you clean."

"_Clean_?" She choked on the word, but refused to acknowledge that fact. "How is _giving _me drugs supposed to get me clean?! What makes you think you can even pull that off?"

Ratchet actually smirked at that. "I've done it before."

She narrowed her gaze. "I'm not something you can alter, medic."

"But you are something I can help. If you'll let me."

"I don't want your help." She wanted to toss the needle back at him. She wanted to scream that she didn't need his drugs.

But she didn't.

Because she couldn't.

She kept the syringe held tightly in her hand as she glared at him.

"Maybe not, but you do need it."

"I don't _need _anything from you." She snapped.

His left optic ridge rose. "Oh really? Then how are you planning on getting more of that." He inclined his helm toward the object held tightly between her claws. "Because if you think Optimus is going to allow that in his home and it not come from me you really are glitched."

"He's glitched if thinks he can stop me from getting what I want." She retorted.

"Come on now, Jynx." Ratchet huffed. "You have to know this isn't an argument you can win. We can stand here all orn and hash out the obvious or you can listen to what I have to say and go from there."

"What?" She snorted. "Now you wanna make a deal?"

"Yes actually."

She tilted her helm before glancing to the syringe in her claws. Narrowing her optics all over again she held up it up. "And it has to do with this." It wasn't a question.

Ratchet nodded.

"And you wanting to try and make me clean." Also not a question.

Another nod.

"You have to realize that that is _never _going to happen." She straightened as her glare fell away to a blank look that was so empty and cold even through the glass that covered her optics Ratchet had to fight back a shiver that wanted to race up his plating.

He hid the shiver by countering her. "I've heard that before, little femme."

"You'll never fix me, mech." Jynx said quietly. "You can't. It's not worth it. You shouldn't even bother trying."

"I've never accepted defeat well." He told her.

"None of you damn Autobots ever do, do you?" She huffed.

"Nope." Sides grinned brightly.

She looked away from all of them all by gazing down at her lap and the drug that was laying there. If the idiot really thought he could make her clean he was stupider then she originally thought, but there was something that Jynx had to take into consideration.

And that was the fact that she was sitting here with memories swimming in the back of her processor, taunting and haunting her.

She wasn't going to last without something to banish them with.

She already knew she couldn't stay in this place sober. She couldn't kill the Underground sober.

She knew she couldn't even try.

So she was going to have to have a dose somehow, and if the medic was willing to give it to her in the hopes that maybe he could fix her somehow for whatever stupid reason he seemed to feel the need to do so then who was she to turn down free CN?

At least this way she wasn't doing what she normally did to get it.

There was so much positive to this deal she'd struck with the glitched Prime that it was hard for her to think about just cutting out.

He was willing pay her; she could pay her debt.

He was willing to help her kill those bastards; she'd be free.

How did she turn her back on all of that?

Even she wasn't crazy enough to think that letting this slip from between her claws was a good idea.

She'd said she could make herself play by the Prime's rules, but she'd realized she couldn't do that with the past creeping back in on her. So she'd have to find away to beat it back or she might as well just pitch herself off the pretty towers they'd built here.

Because there was no point in any of it.

Slowly letting her optics find Ratchet again she sighed. "So . . . what do I have to do to keep this?"

"Agree to let me help you."

She snorted. "Let me rephrase that. What is your idea of helping me?"

"Get you clean."

"And how are you going to do that by giving me CN?"

"I'll ration you."

Her gaze narrowed.

"You've been on it too long to cut it off cold, I'm not foolish enough to think you could do something like that, let alone agree to it. However, you might agree to keep getting what you want, but I lower the potency and how much you get until we can convince your frame that you don't need it anymore. So, you know, you don't die. Because if you die that would really through a wrench into Optimus' plans." He went on.

"And you think I'll agree to that?"

"I think you'll do whatever it takes to keep getting it as of right now."

Damn.

He was right.

She hated that.

A lot.

"How much we talking here?" She questioned.

"Well that's a pretty damn potent batch of seventy-eight. I think that'll last you a few orns."

She barked a laugh to which Ratchet's optics clouded with confusion too.

"Seriously?" She snorted. "You went and dug what I had out of subspace, mech. Didn't you see how much I had? You really think one dose will last me that long? You obviously haven't figured out just how often I use have you?"

"Apparently not." Ratchet grumbled. "So enlighten me."

She held up the CN, twirling it between her claws as a dark smile lit her faceplate. "This will last me just about one orn."

Sideswipe's and Sunstreaker's optics widened, and with her back to them she didn't notice, but she did however notice the way the medic's flashed with an emotion she wasn't quite sure how to name before he schooled his expression again.

Jynx just laughed at him.

She knew every medical instinct in him was whirling, thinking, and calculating trying to figure out the damage that much of the poison could do. How much it had already done.

And quite honestly she enjoyed it.

She liked seeing him squirm.

She like seeing him think he would fail.

Because he certainly wasn't going to fix her.

Nobot was ever going to fix her . . . nobot had ever cared enough to try.

Well, that wasn't completely true. A few had tried, but they were all gone now.

So what did it matter?

It was just like it always had been.

Anybot she trusted, anybot she _cared _for . . . they left her.

They died.

She had long ago learned that it was easier to just not care.

"That," Ratchet wasn't sure she'd live to the end of the decacycle if he let her do that. "That is too much, Jynx."

"Not for me." She shrugged.

"It will kill you." Ratchet hissed. "Very _quickly_."

A blankness swept over her features as she slowly lowered the CN back down to her lap while she kept her optics locked on the two tone mech's dark blue optics. Was he really under the impression that she didn't know that?

Did he really think she cared?

With a huff she tilted her helm. "So?"

And the medic flinched like she's struck him.

It was interesting, and a bit surprising.

"You really don't care." It wasn't a question, and the scowl that took over his faceplate told her just how much he didn't like the words he was saying.

"Why should I?" What in this damn world did she have to live for anyway?

She was alone . . . .

And oh so tired of being that way.

Of remembering.

She didn't want to remember anymore, and it seemed all she'd done since she got here was remember it all over and over again. They had no fraggin' idea how much that hurt.

She fought the urge to rub at her sparkchamber.

It was aching again, but that was nothing new.

"Because it's your life!" Ratchet snapped at her.

She barked out a laugh shaking her helm at him as she smiled wickedly.

Her life?

Was he actually suggesting that her life belonged to her?

Ha.

Yeah. Fraggin'. Right.

As if.

She looked away from him again.

_It's never been _my _life. It never will be._

Because she belonged to somebot else, and she always would.

Because she wasn't strong enough to save herself.

"You're pathetic."

Her helm snapped up as her optics narrowed to the golden warrior that stood there, now a wound tight ball of quivering rage. His fists were clenched, his scowl was set, and his vivid blue optics were blazing with an anger that just might rival the one burning to life in her chest.

"_What _did you call me?"

"Pathetic." Sunstreaker snarled out at her taking a few paces forward fighting every instinct inside him that want to yank her up and shake her until he maybe jiggled lose her damn senses. "You are fraggin' _pathetic_!"

"Why you half bit fraggin' abomination," Anger was creating energy, an energy Jynx thought she was too weak at the moment to conquer up. Yet there she was, pushing herself up right on the berth until she was balancing on her knees her dangerous claws flexing out beside her as she snarled back to the warrior a few feet away. "Say that again and I'll rip your abnormal spark out you slagged up curse!"

"I'd love to see you try!" Sunstreaker yelled, ignoring Sides' hand closing around his arm trying to pull him back, thier bond flared trying to calm him down. He wasn't even paying Ratchet a lick of attention when the medic glared harshly at him shaking his helm back and forth. He just let the fury ball up inside of him until he shot it back at her.

The glitch.

Because how could she say something like that!?

"Come here and I'll show you!" She spit out the promise wanting nothing more than to rip every piece of his stupidly shinny armor form his damn frame and chunk it into a damn smelter.

"Sunstreaker!" Ratchet scolded, but he was ignored again. Just as Sideswipe was when he yanked a bit harder and flared their bond.

_"Sunny! What are you doing!?"_

Sunstreaker ignored him too. He was too mad to stop now. The words had settled into a dark part of him that he had beat back over the vorns, and to hear something like that come out the fire filled little thing that had been brave enough, or glitched enough, to stand up to the Prime and the two of them was like somebot running knives down his finish.

It just hit every button he had the wrong way.

This bot he had promised his Prime he would be responsible for. The femme he had sat at the berth side of all damn night because he decided that he was going to help her!

He decides that he's gonna do it and then she goes and says she'd rather overdose then fraggin' live!

Oh no way in pit!

She was going to live, even if he had to slaggin' make her!

He was not going to fail at what Optimus told him to do.

She wasn't going to cause that.

No way no how.

"You couldn't do a damn thing if I laid back and let you." He taunted her. "Do you honestly think a coward could harm me!?"

"_Coward_!?" She screeched.

"Yes, _coward_!" He hollered. "Because that's what you are! A CN overdose? That's how you want to go out!? You survive whatever the pit did that to your sparkchamber and you want to die by the tip of a needle!? What the frag is wrong with you?!"

Something fragile, like glass, dropped and shattered to a million pieces on the floor between them.

That was the look that took Jynx over as soon as those words rolled off Sunstreaker's tongue, and his rant came to an end when that slim piece of black glass over her optics faded clear as shock seemed to seize her up. The absolute horror that filled those suddenly visible silver orbs sliced into Sunstreaker and he felt himself take a half step back without really meaning to do it.

That look felt like somebot sucker punched him to the spark though.

It was so full of terror where a seething rage had once been.

And he'd caused it.

Looking at the fear that was suddenly directed toward him he realized he didn't want it. This mech who had torn sparks out for the better part of his life, in the gladiator pits and for a war he was tossed into. Who had seen what real terror was when it filled the optics of a bot he was about to offline. He had seen it time and time again, in all reality he was probably use to it, in a numb sort of way.

But _this_.

This sheer panic and fear directed toward him through that now clear visor from those strangely colored bright optics was like nothing he'd ever felt.

And he wanted it to stop.

Jynx froze up, her processor locked on those words playing them on repeat over and over again through her processor not letting anything else through as she found herself sinking backward into the berth until she had managed to curl into a tight little ball her optics still locked on the mech as she tried to make since of the words that had just been shouted at her.

They . . . they removed her plating?

They _saw _the things she hadn't looked at since she got the armor of her last frame.

She couldn't process it.

No matter how hard she tried.

It wasn't their secret to know.

They shouldn't know it.

She . . . she didn't know what to do.

No bot had ever seen them, no bot beside the one that made them and the one that shared with her what had been done to the pair of them.

And Jynx's mind just kept locking up on the words over and over again leaving her sitting there staring while the golden mech backed up a few paces, the red one glancing between her and the medic who was slowly inching toward her as she just sat there ramrod straight in absolute terror.

"Jynx?" Ratchet carefully touched her arm, but she didn't respond. She just kept staring at Sunstreaker who was fidgeting under the pin of those suddenly visible optics. When she didn't respond to the word or the touch Ratchet dared to shake her slightly, knowing she'd probably come out of her daze swing and he was going to be welding up some cuts to his armor later. However, she didn't move.

Not even to try and slide out his touch.

She just sat there staring at Sunstreaker, without even blinking.

"Sunny," Sideswipe mumbled as they stared back at the little white femme. "I think you broke her."

Sunstreaker's gaze stayed on her. "I . . . I didn't mean to. She just responds when she's mad. I was trying to make her see that . . . ." He didn't really know what he'd been trying to do now. "Ratchet?"

By then Ratchet had shaken her a lot harder now. Jarring her enough to make her helm snap back and forth before he latched hold of her chin and twisted her neck to face him. The look didn't leave though. Now it was just pinning him as she took quick shaky breath after quick shaky breath. Each one more uneven then the last one as a tremor set into her plating again.

And suddenly Ratchet understood.

She was having a panic attack.

Jynx.

_Jynx_, was having a panic attack.

He could honestly say he didn't see one that coming.

Sure, she flipped emotions like a switch board, but she'd been yelling right back at Sunstreaker until he mention—

Oh damn.

He'd said they'd seen her scars.

Ratchet had had a feeling she wasn't going to take any of them knowing about those well, and he'd been right. _Very_ right it seemed.

Well slag it all to rust in pit!

Quickly letting her go he twisted to spin around and start digging through a supply cabinet looking for what he needed as he hiss over his shoulder. "She's having a panic attack, Sides get that damn needle before she does something stupid."

The red mech was moving before he even really knew he had done it. Closing the distance to the berth and gently slipping the acid out of the little femme's grip as she just sat there staring blankly at the far wall shaking. Tossing the CN into subspace he didn't back off from the berth, instead he leaned forward a bit looking into those wide scared orbs behind that now clear glass visor and wondered.

What was she seeing?

Because it certainly wasn't him.

* * *

_It had been unusually quiet._

_And it made her plating tingle._

_When she had first come to be here the few orns that he would disappear and leave them be were orns she treasured. It was those that she told herself that she just have to survive long enough to get to and then there would be a break. And then she could do something beside scream._

_But it hadn't taken long for her to learn that it was far worse for them all after he came back. He was always more sadistic, almost hungrier. He pushed them all even harder. He dug deeper, he sliced more, and he broke _everything_._

_No._

_When he went away it was far worse._

_He came back as if he was itching for a hit, the hit of their screams._

Her _screams._

_Curling in on herself Jynx shivered at the dull pain that was drumming in her chest. She was not sure as of now what the pain was. Whether it was hers or if it was the pain of the mech that leaned against the wall in the cage right next to her. She really couldn't tell anymore._

_This feeling was still so new._

_This second . . . ._

_Actually she wasn't sure what it was her Master had done to them. She knew what he wanted._

_But that wasn't possible . . . was it?_

_"Jynx?"_

_Her optics opened at the sound of her name drifting over the strangely quiet air of their own personal pit. It was hardly a whisper, hardly even a sound._

_Maybe it wasn't a sound._

_Maybe he hadn't really spoke at all._

_Maybe he was in her spark again, it wasn't like she knew how to tell the difference anymore. What was bond, what was link, what was real, what was them, and what was made. Shifting again she felt overly hot plating press against her own. He was still running to hot, their Master had been gone for orns and the poison still hadn't cycled out of Arsine's veins. _

_He was in an insane about of pain, she knew._

_She could feel it._

_Even if she didn't really know she could._

_It was . . . a difficult thing to explain._

_And she didn't have the processing power as of now to think it over. She only knew what the Master had told them in between slicing them open and digging around in their sparks._

_"I'm here." Her whisper was strange to her own audios, her voice sounding wrong to her when it wasn't pleading or screaming. She'd gone so long without ever doing anything else that normal speech was something she didn't truly understand anymore._

_As sad as that fraggin' was._

_A once strong arm—now weak and powerless—tightened as much as it could around her, pulling her up closer—mindful of the energon oozing gashes that lined her front where her plating had not been replaced since the last time she was strapped down. The Master didn't really see the point in replacing what it was he tore away every time he opened them up again, which was why Jynx and Arsine were sitting there in their shared cell half stripped down to protoform leaking and aching, waiting for him to come back and cut them open again._

_She fought off the shiver that ran through her at the notion of what would happen when he returned in favor of forcing herself to steady her weight on her knees so that she could reach a shaking hand up to the forehelm of the massive mech beside her whipping at the condensation that was gathering on his clear for now visor. _

_The dark red orbs that burned not just on the other side but into her spark as well held her, but she did not linger on them for long. It was hard to linger there. To stare into those orbs and know they were filled with the same defeat that her own were. It was hard for her to admit that her hero was just as broken as she was._

_That smile though._

_That warm—forced—smile that crawled up his lips was not something she could look away from though. Neither were his words, rumbled in that strong voice that no matter how many times she heard it crying out in pain alongside her would ever seem less strong._

_"I know that," He whispered. "I was just reminding you of that."_

_And for that she snorted at him, smacking him lightly on the side of his arm that was less mangled with knife marks as she slide back down beside him leaning into his hold._

_The silence stretched back on between them, the pair just sitting there listening to the sound of the compound whirling around them. The smelters pinging, the air vents wheezing, the scattered sound of a shifting frame or murmured voices. They were far from the only bots caged and chained in this place. There was _their_ lifelong survivor that had always stood beside them in the cell a few rows down from them, the dozen or so they knew not by names but by the sound of their screams, and the few that they did know by name as well as scream. The number of lab-rats that shared this pit with them changed more often than Jynx liked to admit to herself. It was a terrifying notion to know how many he killed every orn and yet they still didn't die._

_It wasn't fair._

_Taking a deep breath the little femme leaned into the wall of strong armor beside her that had always been there, that swore that he always would be, even when they both knew that was an empty promise._

_"We're never going to get out of here are we?" _

_Arsine choked out a laugh, a cold hollow sound that was nothing of who he really was, and yet at the same time was a clear message of all that was left. _

_"Jynx . . . ." He sighed. "No, no were never getting out of here. You already know that."_

_"Yeah . . . ." She huffed._

_She knew._

_She'd never forget._

_The scars in her spark would never let her._

* * *

There was a sharp sting in her arm, it registered somewhere in her processor, but it wasn't really apparent to Jynx that something had stuck her and pulled her from her memories until she felt the terror inside her start to fade out.

It was slipping away, the memories becoming fogged and unclear, and an emptiness set in inside her.

An emptiness she chased.

Maybe that was what caused Jynx to just take one deep breath and just twist her helm around to watch the medic withdraw an empty syringe from her arm. He'd stuck her with something.

Something that was fogging her processor and leaving her to kind of melt into a ball there on the berth, the hyperventilating evening out and the past ebbing away.

Her first thought was he'd stuck her with the CN, but there was no burn. No feel of acid racing through her veins burning into every part of her until it took the pain away with a different kind of pain.

She didn't understand.

If it wasn't CN . . . then what was it?

"You back in there yet?" It was the medic's voice, echoing from above her and she realized she was still looking at him, but with the blur in her mind she couldn't really figure out what was going on.

Leaning back slightly trying to get him out of her space as he hovered almost over her she blinked up at him, not realizing her visor was still unusually clear. "Ratchet?"

The medic snorted, to cover up the relief in his spark. "Yes, that's me."

She glanced down to the needle in his hand. "What did . . . what is . . . ."

"It's a sedative." Ratchet knew what she was trying to figure out what was going on with a processor numbed by chemicals of a different kind. He hadn't know what else to give her to bring her back to the real world when she started hyperventilating, and since he wasn't sure how she'd react to the CN at a time like that he settled for something he had a bit more control over.

A sedative chemical mix that was strong enough to knock Megatron on his aft for orns, and yet all it did to Jynx was leave her sitting there in a gel like kind of stillness as she stared up at him with confused optics.

She still didn't know what was going on.

"Sedative?" She glanced around in a daze. The twins were shifting back and forth in the corner watching her as if they were afraid she was going to burst out into song.

It was weird.

"Yes, a sedative." Ratchet told her softly. "A very strong one, now do you remember where you are and how you got here?"

She bit her bottom lip feeling her consciences spin in color swirls of nothing.

This was amazing.

Far better than anything she'd had in a long time. It was like the best batch of seventy-eight she'd ever had but without the burn throughout her frame. Whatever this was it was potent, and it took the pain away from her without causing more of it.

Where was this slag when she went skipping into Fritzron?

"Wasn't I about to gut Goldie?" She mumbled.

Sunstreaker rumbled out a low growl, but Sideswipe smacked him on the arm and he was quickly silence. Jynx ignored them both in favor of staring up at Ratchet in a numb haze.

She could totally get use to feeling this and she was pit bent on find out what it was going to take for her to get more of it. Frag CN, this stuff was _way_ better.

"Well you can't really get off the berth right now even if you tired so I doubt you would have been able to pull that one off, femme." Ratchet said.

Jynx tilted her helm.

It accrued to her to test that theory, that maybe she should have tested it as soon as she fell back out of her past, but this swirling nothing was nice. She liked it.

She really didn't want to question it.

Because this was so much better than her memories.

So for now, maybe she could go without questing it.

Maybe it would be alright.

Maybe . . . .

"Why did you sedate me?" She mumbled.

"Because you were spacing the frag out that's why." Sunstreaker snapped.

She tilted her helm.

Spacing out?

Well that wasn't really new.

She tended to do that when she was too sober.

That or run.

And she couldn't run right now. Really because she couldn't feel her peds right now. She couldn't really feel anything. It was wonderful.

She hadn't felt this at ease since, well a pit damn long time.

Letting out a soft snort she spoke up again. "Well wouldn't be the first time. What the slag is this stuff?"

Lifting up a hand she flexed her long claws marveling at the blur that edged around them. Even her sight had been affected by whatever the medic stuck her with. It was fascinating. Absolutely fascinating.

Damn.

She'd _pay_ for this slag.

Sure it wasn't the buzz high that came along with CN, but she'd never taken the acid substance for the high in the first place. She took it for the emptiness of bliss it gave her. She took it because it helped her forget. It took away his name, his visor, his optics, his laugh, his smile, his broken promises, his dull and lifeless faceplate mocking her with how badly she'd screwed up.

That was what the CN's purpose was.

That was why she didn't care what she had to do to get it. What it was she had to sell, who it was she had to obey, or what it did to her insides. Because what did it matter? She'd never cared for her own life, she'd been chasing death since the first night she spent under those torches and knives.

Her optics narrowed behind her visor as the conversation before came back to her processor.

Because that damn golden twin had no right to call her a coward. What the pit did he know?

Nothing!

And he never would.

Her claws curled back into fist as the medic answered her.

"A mixture I've perfected over the vorns." Ratchet told her crossing his arms over his chest. "The dose I gave you is strong enough to knock Prime out for orns. I'd say I'm surprised that you're still somewhat functional, but I'm really not. If you're telling the truth about how much CN you take, and I know you have no reason to lie about that, then it's really not surprising that your systems can function with it."

"Function?" She laughed. "My fraggin' sights blurry you glitch. It's awesome."

That got her a lifted optic ridge as she swayed slightly back and forth on the berth. It was a strange thing for the three mechs to stand there and watch, because it was almost like Jynx was _calm_.

Sideswipe tilted his helm at the little white femme before he rang the CMO's private comm link channel. **"Ratchet?"**

**"What?"**

**"I thought there isn't anything in that sedative of yours that makes bots high."**

**"There isn't." **The big yellow and red medic was already on the thought path it seemed Sideswipe was turning down.

**"Then what the slag is she so happy about?" **Sunstreaker huffed. **"She's not high, if anything half her systems are halfway in recharge aren't they?"**

**"Yes," **Ratchet mumbled. **"It'll knock her out eventually. It's slowly shutting her down, slower than normal by all means, but it will get there. As for why she's so pleased with it, I'm not all that sure as of yet."**

Sides' helm titled the other way as he watched her flex her claws in and out of a fist over and over again as if the motion of the digits was fascinating to her. **"Maybe it isn't the high that she wants Ratchet."**

The medic cast him a glance, confusion in his optics. **"She takes seventy-eight blend CN and she doesn't want to be high? Sideswipe do you hear yourself."**

**"No think about it." **Sides defended. **"We didn't take the slag for the high; we took it as a distraction. Something else to think about. Remember? Sunny, tell him."**

**"Don't call me that." **The golden mech snapped before he had to agree with this twin. **"But he is right. I wasn't after a high when I was on CN. I was just trying to feel something beside the empty that had taken over."**

**"I remember." **Ratchet replied. **"That's why it wasn't that hard to break you two of it. You didn't really want it in the first place."**

**"Maybe she doesn't really want it either. Maybe she just wants what it does to her, and not the high, maybe she's after the fog it creates." **Sunstreaker offered.

**"When she spaced out like that she wasn't looking at me, Ratchet. She couldn't even see me I don't think." **Sideswipe offered. **"She was in her processor, something Sunny said put her there, and she couldn't get back out. Not until she stuck her with that."**

Ratchet knew they were right.

He'd been trying to put it together while she sat there staring at her own claws in that numb fog he'd forced onto her. In that moment she wasn't thinking about them, or drugs, or where she was or even how she got there. She was just there. Quiet and it seemed calm.

Which were two things that in the short time Ratchet had known the femme he'd never seen her be.

He didn't want to say she was happy, because he didn't think she was, but she was definitely not as strung.

It was strange, but it was something he could work with. If she'd talk to him like this maybe they really could work out a real agreement, one that didn't evolve allowing her to shot poison into her systems every orn.

Taking a few steps closer to her he was willing to give it a shot. "Jynx—"

"I'm real tired of being in your stupid medical bay." She cut him off, tilting her helm up to gaze at the ceiling. Ratchet blinked, a little shocked by the words before he decided to just go with it.

"Alright,"

"When can I get out of here? Because I can't kill those bastards in here."

"You still want to do what you and Optimus agreed to?"

She brought her visor back down to meet his optics and he found himself staring into the clearest 'are you a dumb aft' look he'd ever seen in his life. He had to fight back a chuckle at the sight of it.

"You think I'm gonna let the chance to kill them all and get paid for it pass me by?" She snorted at him.

"Well we weren't really sure what to make of what you wanted when you bolted on us and then they found you half dead in an alley."

Jynx looked back to her claws, flexing them as she imagined energon soaking them. Familiar energon. Energon that she'd do anything in this damn universe to be able to soak the whole damn planet it.

"I want to hear those glitches scream." She mumbled. "More so then I want to hang your stupid Prime up by his toes or push my stupid sparkling sitters into a smelter."

"Well that's good to know." Sideswipe snorted as he crossed his arms and rolled his optics at the little femme.

"You're never going to get those chances, glitch." Sunstreaker rumbled.

She lifted her gaze back to theirs trying to force away the sudden urge to yawn as her processor started slowly down even more. "I can just kill you all after I kill the Ground."

"I guess we'll just have to see where we stand by that time." Ratchet spoke, drawing her attention back to him before she could piss off Sunstreaker again. They were getting somewhere, he didn't want her hissing and angry again just yet. Even if when she was angry she did tend to give away a bit more. Right now he could see the sedative finally starting to draw her down. She was sinking a little more into the berth she sat on, her frame getting loser and her visor—which had tinted back to black somewhere along in this conversation and he hadn't noticed—was slightly dulling. It was still black, but it was softening, as if with a numb processor she had less to hide herself away from.

"Guess so," That time a yawn did work its way out of the little femme and for a moment the twins and the medic were forced to realize once again just how little she truly was. They weren't sure just how old she was, but the CMO knew by having worked on her she was fully grown, and yet she hadn't been older then a youngling all that long. Yet she was still the way she was, still as damaged as she was.

It was sad.

Sad, and they wanted to know why. They wanted to know what this femme knew about the bots that were trying to kill them all just as bad as the Prime did, but after last night, after this morning, they were starting to see that maybe Ratchet had a point, and maybe Optimus was right.

Maybe she really was just reacting the only way she knew how.

Maybe she wasn't that much different from how Sideswipe and Sunstreaker had been when they got drug into this world not all that differently then she had been. There was more here then what they were seeing.

Much more.

They just had to figure out what it was.

"Jynx," Ratchet tired again. "That sedative I gave you," He paused until he saw her nod making sure that she was still awake enough to understand what he was saying. "It's not a drug like CN, it doesn't damage you on the inside like the other does, but it can still be dangerous. It's not meant to be used too much, but I'm willing to let you have it in place of the CN in our deal."

Her visor flashed.

"Really?"

"Yes,"

"But . . . why?"

"Because I'd rather give you something that is less dangerous to ration then something that will kill you in a matter of orns. You're more use to all of us alive then you are dead."

She snorted, not liking how sure he seemed of himself. "And you think I'll take this slag over CN?"

Ratchet lifted an optic ridge again letting her think over her own words before she huffed out an annoyed breath. He knew as well as Jynx did that she liked this feeling over the one the blend gave her, and this one . . . well this one she didn't have to crawl into berths with oily glitches to get. This was sounding like a much better option, even she knew that.

She looked away fighting back another yawn.

Damn medic and his damn sedative that was better slag then anything she'd ever found at clearing her processor.

"Okay . . . so maybe your stupid slag isn't so stupid." She mumbled. "But even medical slag used like I want it isn't good for systems."

"Which is why the rationing you off of it until you can function without something would still stand."

She huffed. "I never be able to function without something you idiot."

"Every addict says that, Jynx."

"Oh," She laughed another one of those cold sounds as she shifted on the berth trying to keep her slowing processor awake just a bit longer. "You think I'm just another addict do you? Tell me medic, what addict do you know that will give up a high for something that's slowly putting them to recharge?"

The yellow and red mech paused at that, the point actually accruing to him for the first time, but Jynx didn't give him the chance to try and rethink his strategy of making a deal with her.

"But I'll take it." She told him. "One dose every orn, just like the CN would have been, however big the dose was that you gave me."

Ratchet's optics narrowed. "I can't let you do that for long, Jynx."

"Well I guess we'll get there when we get there." She threw back at him. "Because I'm no use to your damn Prime if I can't think, and without a dose of something I won't be able to think. So just like with the CN, cough it up or I'll find it on my own."

And Ratchet had no doubt that she'd do that, but he also knew she couldn't survive another bad dose like the one she'd gotten. Optimus wouldn't like it but he'd take the femme's deal. For now.

So Ratchet let out a sigh and a nod that he wasn't sure whether or not he would regret as time went on. "For now, but I will lower the dosage, that's how the rationing works."

"Fine."

"And you won't get it every orn."

"Oh yes I will." She fought off another yawn and to keep her optics open.

"Why the slag do you want it every orn, Jynx?" The chief medic fought back his growl just as much as she was fighting that yawn he could see trying to work its way out. They were getting somewhere, sort of, and he knew if he backed her in a corner it would be over. However, he couldn't just like her knock herself out every orn. It wasn't healthy. Sure it was better than dosing up on CN, but it wasn't going to be long before the sedative was hurting her too.

"Because I do." Her claws dug a bit into the sheets under her again as she glared up at the medic.

"Part of the fixing you process is getting you off of it."

"I don't want you to fix me!" It came out as a hiss as she glared up at him through tired optics that were somehow clear to him even through the dark glass.

"Well, he'll fix you whether you want him to or not, Wild Cat." Sides snorted a laugh, the sound of the nickname she didn't get why he used drawing her attention. "That's kind of what the Hatchet does."

Ratchet growled at him, but Sideswipe just smiled cheekily while his twin stood beside him fighting off a smirk of his own.

"He has a point, Ratchet." Sunstreaker said.

"Both of you stay out of this." Ratchet huffed.

"Awe come on we were just trying to help." Sides laughed.

"I don't need you help."

"You will when you tell her no and she tries to slit your throat." Sunstreaker's vivid optics drifted back to Jynx making her bristle to the threat that shown there quite plainly. It was a promise. A promise that he'd be there to stop her if she stepped out of line. The very audacity of the curse standing there thinking he could tell her a damn thing to do made Jynx want to leap up and offline the stupid medic just to spite the glitch, but at that point she could really pick up her arms anymore with how much the sedative was starting to take effect so she was left with the only option of glaring until she was sure she could peal paint.

He just snorted at her though.

He wasn't impressed.

He wasn't afraid.

He was going to _so _die when she woke up in the morning.

Slowly.

Very, very, very slowly.

"Enough of this," Ratchet waved them off letting his gaze fall back to the femme that was trying to murder Sunstreaker with her hidden optics. So far she wasn't really having that much luck.

The CMO wasn't too worried.

For now at least.

She was slowly slipping into recharge. One system betraying her after another and pretty soon she'd be out for the rest of the orn.

Now tomorrow, that was a different story all together.

Because tomorrow she was going to have to deal with Jazz and Prowl and the answer they wanted. Ratchet had a feeling she was absolutely going to _love _that.

Maybe he wouldn't be putting anybot back together, but really with this femme everything was up in the air.

"She's not going anywhere right now." Ratchet shot the frontliner a look before turning his focus back to Jynx all over again as she fought her systems trying to shut her down. She wasn't going to win that fight for much longer.

She huffed, turning her helm from the golden mech and the crimson one that stood beside him as her optics found Ratchet again while he watched her.

"What do you want now?" She hissed. "I said I'd do your deal."

"You can't have it every orn, Jynx." He tried to make her understand. "For a few orns maybe, but after that I have to lessen it, or I'm just giving you something else to be addicted too."

"I'll have it every night." Jynx narrowed her optics to the mech.

"You don't _need _it every night." Ratchet tried to reason with her.

"You don't know a damn thing about what I need." She hissed. "And don't pretend too!"

"Then help me understand. Give me a reason to give it to you that much."

A billion and one reasons sprang to Jynx's tongue, but she bit them back as quickly as they appeared. She couldn't tell him why.

She _wouldn't _tell him why.

Him or any of them.

She _wouldn't_.

No way in pit.

Not now not ever!

Taking a breath she sucked in her bottom lip, biting hard on it as the truth accrued to her. He wasn't going to play the game if she didn't, and neither was the Prime.

And damn it all to pit she didn't know what to do.

She'd never told anybot why she did what she did.

They all either already knew or died after they were foolish enough to ask such a pit damned stupid question. It wasn't a sentence she usually allowed bots to live after they uttered.

She'd gutted more than enough fools along her way that had wondered about things that were none of their business, and she'd never done it the easy way. No. Those were the fools that screamed, thrashed, begged, and blubbered while she pealed back plating and armor, or while she plucked out optics, shattered audios, pried open syncing panels and then gone to digging around inside processors she didn't belong in looking for the thing that could make them ask such an idiotic thing of a psychopath.

Not even Greaseslick had been stupid enough to question the things she did after he found her that night stowed away in his cargo bay.

Yet here stood this medic.

That wanted to 'help' her by asking things he had no business knowing.

And she was going to have to answer him at least somewhat truthfully, or he'd take this bliss away.

He'd leave her to her processor's horrors.

The golden glitch had said something about her scars . . . they'd seen them. Who _they _was she wasn't sure of yet, but that alone was going to cause problems. She could use those as her reason she guessed, but then the glitch would just want to start trying to 'heal' her or something.

And no bot was every going anywhere near her sparkchamber ever again.

_Ever. _

Unsure of how to go about working it she took a deep breath feeling just how much the slag was slowing her down now. It was getting hard to keep her optics open now.

She was scared of saying it, but it might be the only way she was going to get what she had to have.

_You can't do this sober. _ She reminded herself. _And this is the only chance you have of killing them. Making them pay for everything they did . . . everything they took from you. _

Otherwise they were always going to own her.

Otherwise . . . he'd never be at peace.

Closing her optics she didn't figure coming out and saying it was going to hurt as bad as it did.

"I take CN to recharge. So that's . . . that's what I need the sedative for." She whispered, the words hardly audible even to her highly tuned audios, but they perked the mechs' attention. She was aware of the damn medic leaning forward and the twins casting each other a glance before looking back at her.

"To recharge?" Ratchet's optics flashed with confusion as he watched the little femme ball up into herself. "Why?"

"Because . . . ." Her claws dug into her plating even if they were hardly any use to her now as she curled tighter. "Because I can't without it."

"Jynx, you're telling me you've been dosing up on a drug that is potent enough to eat you alive from the inside out because you can't _recharge _without a high? That doesn't make any sense!"

"Oh yes it does!" Her helm shot up, some of the fire returning to her as she was challenged on actually telling the truth.

How dare he!

"It makes me _forget_!" She snarled. "Don't you get it! I _have _to forget! I can't remember! I just can't."

The medic leaned back, shocked a little by her words before and that look from earlier came back. That pity.

Oh how she fraggin' hated it!

"Forget what?" He asked softly.

She turned away, fighting back the tears that burned at the edges of her optics while that dull visor flashed before her again.

"Everything."

* * *

**And here we have clue number two.  
**

**In all reality chapter seven and eight were supposed to be one chapter. It just wouldn't end.**

**So now we end up with Jynx stuck in the medical bay again for another chapter. Can't see that making her a little bit more high strung for the next chapter when she gets out, can you?**

**There is just so much mystery wound up in her there is no telling how long its going to take these mechs to figure it out. I did enjoy this chapter though. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker . . . the poor mechs. They have no idea what they've gotten themselves into.**

**Hope you guys liked it. As always please read and review. The feedback on this story has just left me in awe. I'm really glad you guys are enjoying it. I'm working really hard.**

**Next chapter up next sunday.**

**See you then.**

**-Jaycee**


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